


Duty

by WaterRolls



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Hinata, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Assault, Light Smut, Lots of Cursing, NaruHina - Freeform, Not pure angst but not pure fluff either, One-sided pining, Opposites Attract, Out of Character, PTSD, Parental Death, Role Reversal, Sexual Content, Slow Build, Some Action, Trauma, but baby girl goes through some hurt, family bonds, it's all over the place, mostly romance, still some humor dammit, strong Hinata
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:28:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 117,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterRolls/pseuds/WaterRolls
Summary: AU/OOC NaruHina: A still-orphaned Naruto raised properly by adults. A dutiful Hinata trained as an assassin. This time, adopted by the Uchihas, a happy, well-adjusted Naruto falls for a numbed, romantically clueless Hinata as they face the harsh realities of shinobi life. Non-Uchiha-massacre. Slow build for characterization. A little angsty, heavy themes, still some humor, happy ending. (Yes, they have sex.)This story diverges from canon so some events have obviously changed. Characters are not their usual selves: a not so goofy Naruto with social graces; an emotionally stable Sasuke (gasp!); a responsible Jiraiya; an alive and doting Itachi; an undead, supportive Neji; and a quiet, but non-shy Hinata who doesn't try to change her fate.Or, NaruHina re-imagined where Naruto becomes a flustered mess and Hinata learns to understand what love is.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 95
Kudos: 95





	1. The Night of Naruto's Birth

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you, awesome reader, for stopping by!
> 
> WARNING: This is not my usual fluff.
> 
> Before you get invested in this story, I just wanted to let you know that I'm trying something new this time. There are still a lot of lighter moments like in my other stories, but this one uses the hurt-comfort trope and explores heavier themes.
> 
> So please check the tags for any triggers. 
> 
> Here we go...

* * *

**DUTY**

"Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

Abraham Lincoln

* * *

**Part 1: Orphan**

**Chapter 1: The Night of Naruto's Birth**

"Sir! Danzo's escaped our watch!"

The ANBU with the panda mask suddenly appeared at the window to Hiruzen Sarutobi's office with his ominous warning.

The retired Hokage looked up, not with surprise, but with foreboding.

 _It can't be a coincidence,_ he thought. There was a knot in the pit of his stomach.

"Where's Minato?" he asked even as he quickly stood up and slid on his battle gear. They had no time to waste.

"We can't find him."

"Kushina?" Hiruzen asked while he grabbed his helmet and slammed it onto his head.

"We can't get a hold of any of the men sent to guard her!"

Hiruzen felt it in his bones. This was not a coincidence. But why now? Why did Danzo feel the need to move _tonight_ , of all nights? Had he been planning an attack all this time? Had he known Kushina's seal was going to break during childbirth? But that fact was known to only a few, nobody knew of it—Hiruzen abruptly shook his head to clear it. He had to focus.

A feeling of panic filled the air.

Suddenly, screams rent the night as the sky filled with the terrifying mass of hateful chakra. The Kyuubi had been released, its fearsome claws scratching at the roofs of buildings, sending debris splintering through the air. More screams of panic echoed as the villagers realized what was attacking them.

"Evacuate all the people quickly and summon all available shinobi," Hiruzen barked his orders as they flew out of his home and ran down the streets of Konoha. "Get the sensory types to feel out where Kushina is, _now!_ We need to find her! She's our priority. Minato can handle himself."

Hiruzen felt a pang of guilt as he realized that something must have happened to Kushina while she'd been giving birth. A shout of pain distracted him from his thoughts and he turned his gaze upon the town. All around him, the desperate attempts to restrain the Fox Spirit by the Konoha shinobi were faltering.

As Hiruzen ran towards the chaos, he summoned his most powerful ally. "Enma!" he cried as the monkey king appeared before him. "Help me, old friend!"

"The Kyuubi!" Enma replied with shock, but it was only momentary as he soon transformed into Sarutobi's weapon, a massive staff whose size and weight could be easily manipulated for attack.

Hiruzen ran, trusting the rest of the shinobi would do their jobs to protect the citizens, but he kept his eye out on the rampaging Kyuubi who was still, thankfully, just at the outskirts of the city. The damage it was causing was still negligible. But once it got within the main part of town, the chaos would be terrible.

However, before he could reach it, the Kyuubi disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief that Minato had teleported it somewhere away from the village.

But it put him in a quandary. Minato or Kushina, who to help?

He quickly made his decision and hoped Kushina was as far away from Minato as possible.

"I'm going to help Minato, but where the hell are the sensory ninjas?!" Hiruzen asked the ANBU running alongside him. "Have they found Kushina yet?"

"Sir, we just got word that Minato and Kushina are together."

Hiruzen cursed. "Let's go! And _hurry_!"

_Minato, what the hell are you planning?!_

* * *

_Shit, shit, shit!_ Jiraiya thought as he ran desperately towards the source of the disturbance in the air. This was bad news. The poisonous chakra pervading Konoha could only come from one source: the Kyuubi. And that probably meant that Kushina and Minato were battling with their lives.

He ran on, hoping he was wrong. He was still far from the village, but the panic welling in him wouldn't subside as he realized the distance he still had to cover before he could reach the gates. His sage mode was aiding him, but he was still progressing too slowly.

Jiraiya cursed again. He should have stayed in the village, knowing Kushina was giving birth, that the possibility of her seal was going to break. But he'd trusted that every precaution was going to be taken. That Sarutobi-sensei would make sure that she was protected, that nothing would happen to her and that she would be safe.

On each shoulder, the Myouboku toads Fukasaku and Shima were urging him to go faster.

"I know!" he yelled in frustration. "Who's left who can help us? Minato's already summoned Gamabunta."

"Call Gamaken!" Fukasaku answered.

Jiraiya bit into his thumb, drawing blood. "Summoning Jutsu!" he shouted.

Instantly, a flash of light and smoke revealed a massive magenta-colored toad with black markings on his face and a sasumata pole in his hand.

"Ken-san! Go save Minato!" Jiraiya screamed.

Without a word, the toad instantly bounded up into the air and headed towards the area where he felt the massive flow of chakra.

Jiraiya hoped in his heart that he could make it in time.

* * *

Minato's breath was shallow as he tried to rein in all his strength. Danzo lay at his feet, a kunai protruding from his left breast. Now all that was left was to seal the Kyuubi within Naruto. He hobbled to where Kushina sat, cradling the baby in her arms. But her chakra chains strained as they restricted the beast, who even now was still struggling and roaring under the weight of Gamabunta. Minato could hear the giant toad struggling with his own breath.

"Just a few more minutes, please," Minato asked the toad.

"Minato, that's all I can do right now, you guys need to hurry," Gamabunta said with a labored huff as he held down the Kyuubi's head. For all his size and mass, it took all Gamabunta's concentration to restrain the beast. The Kyuubi was still a powerful being. Without Kushina's chains to help, they'd all be destroyed.

The Hokage nodded. Despite the chaos around him, his mind registered that another heavy beast was on his way to where they all stood. Jiraiya must have summoned another toad to help out. His heart lifted; his sensei was on his way, then.

He pressed a hand to his chest and it came away sticky with blood. The fight with Danzo had been brief, but he'd been injured by one of the Kyuubi's claws, leaving him weak and drained.

He turned to his wife and caught his breath.

Minato knew and felt the urgency of the situation, but he had to stop a moment when he looked at her and knew, then, that this would be the last time he would ever gaze on her and their son.

Her face was pale, but still beautiful even after surviving the carnage she'd gone through a few minutes ago. Her red hair was matted with mingled sweat and blood. Kushina's dress was torn and barely hanging on to her bruised form, unrecognizable from underneath all the blood. But she still resonated strength as she held Naruto as gently as she could in her arms.

Regrets flooded him, but he shook them away. He was Hokage and he'd done the best he could with the time he'd had with Kushina and the people who had relied on him.

Minato smiled as reassuringly as he could as he knelt beside her.

She wiped away a splotch of tear that had fallen on the baby's cheeks. Then she sighed and looked up at him. The eyes blazing at him were desperate.

"Minato, I'm trying so hard to be brave but I don't want to die," Kushina whispered, her low voice throbbing with despair and frustration. "I don't want Naruto to be alone. I want to live, dammit! I want to see our son grow up."

Minato felt her words slice his heart. He felt the same way she did, had wanted to see Naruto grow up, had looked forward to the future with so much hope.

But the truth was undeniable. She'd lost too much blood and he would need to sacrifice whatever lifeforce he had left inside him. He knelt down and cradled both of them in his arms. "I know, Kushina."

"My beautiful baby," she murmured, looking down at Naruto. Then she glanced up at him and begged, "Seal the Kyuubi in me, Minato."

He sighed painfully. "We can't have the Kyuubi inside of you when you're already so weakened by birth."

"I want to try, Minato," she sobbed. "All this can disappear with me when I die. This way, Naruto doesn't need to go through what I did."

He gave her a reassuring squeeze, knowing what he was going to say was difficult for her to take.

"Kushina, the Kyuubi can't die with you. He's been kept alive for a reason, and we will never know why. But we have to leave our faith in Naruto, in Hiruzen, and in Konoha," he whispered.

She only sobbed more, hating the thought of her son being used by the village that they both loved so much.

"Let's _hope_ , Kushina," Minato said, this time his voice was firmer, full of conviction. "We have to trust Naruto."

They heard a sudden shout as a shinobi was blasted away from the barrier Minato had placed around the area. They had to hurry, the others would be arriving soon. He could see Gamaken's enormous head in the distance. The giant toad would soon be arriving with Jiraiya and Hiruzen.

"Naruto will be fine. He has people to love him. They won't fail us," Minato said as he reached out and gripped her hand. She held his fingers and her eyes locked on to his blue ones in understanding.

Gamaken was closer now and he could see Hiruzen yelling something as he got ready to swing Enma against the barrier. There was a bang, and the third Hokage managed to plant himself firmly on the ground to avoid being blasted away.

Kushina heard them but her gaze was on Naruto.

"Kushina, we have to do this now," Minato was saying. "Soon, everyone will be here, and I won't have the will or the strength to go through with this. We only have a few minutes left. Spend it with Naruto and give him all the love you can."

She nodded and swiped a hand across her eyes.

Minato stood up, carrying his family in his arms.

"Naruto, thank you for making me your mother and Minato your father," Kushina said softly as she looked at the sleeping baby. She gave her son one last kiss and one more squeeze. "I love you, my sweet little boy. Be brave, be happy, and be loved. That is all I wish for you."

Minato and Kushina then looked at each other. He nodded. She took a deep breath, gathered all the strength she had left and infused her chains with the last bit of her chakra reserves.

"Kushina, I love you," Minato said.

"Minato, my life with you was heaven on earth." Kushina smiled at him. The few minutes they had left now was the first and last time the three of them would be together as a family.

But it was enough.

He placed her down on the ground and she stood up shakily, but the arms wrapped around their sleeping son were strong. "I'm ready."

Minato raised his arms, performed his hand seals, and called upon the God of Death, the Shinigami.

* * *

Hiruzen pounded at the barrier in frustration as he watched Minato perform the Reaper Seal Technique. The Shinigami's sinister laugh echoed through the night, raising the hackles on his neck. The Kyuubi's spirit shimmered, losing the strength of its appearance, but he managed to dislodge Gamabunta for a second. The giant toad, though, slammed his body back upon the Fox. The Kyuubi struggled some more against Kushina's chains, pulling at them and towing her away from Minato. But she managed to hold on to him even as she held on to her son.

The Fourth Hokage quickly performed the last of his hand seals, and the Fox Spirit slowly faded as he finally entered the sleeping child held in his mother's arms. The Kyuubi was still roaring with rage, but the finality of its captivity was unmistakable.

Hiruzen heard a loud crash behind him. Gamaken had finally reached them.

"Gamaken, can you jump up past the barrier?" he asked the toad.

"I'll try," came Gamaken's low voice. He crouched down ready to leap up, while Hiruzen was about to try one more time at breaking the barrier with his staff.

However, before they could do anything, Enma growled a warning at both of them.

"Hiruzen, Gamaken, stop! Don't distract Minato right now. You'll do more damage if he makes a mistake with the jutsu. Something could go wrong," Enma said. He sighed with regret. "It's too late for Kushina. Already her lifeblood has drained away. Minato is barely hanging on."

They all watched with horror as the Shinigami laughed, finally claiming Minato's soul before it disappeared.

Minato slumped to the ground, but still, the barrier didn't break. With the last ounce of his strength, he crawled towards his family. Then while Kushina was in his arms, Minato placed a hand on Naruto's stomach and sealed the beast within their son. The dark, swirly circle disappeared into the boy's skin.

"Naruto. My son," he whispered, imbuing the word with all the hopes and prayers he carried in his heart.

He gave the baby one last kiss on the head, then his head fell atop Kushina's breast.

* * *

When the barrier faded, everyone rushed in to help.

Jiraiya finally arrived, saw the inert body of Danzo, the injured Minato and the lifeless Kushina, and wept.

He was too late.

But he hurried towards Minato, who still cradled Kushina in his arms. Her eyes were already closed.

Minato heard Jiraiya's approach and made an attempt to remain conscious. He rolled away from Kushina's body in time to see the sage reach him. Jiraiya sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop the Hokage from rising up.

"Sensei,' he whispered. "Kakashi's injured. He lost an eye. He tried to stop Danzo, but Danzo slashed him with his cane. He's alive, but I think he's barely hanging on. Can you check on him?"

Minato took another labored breath and Jiraiya winced when he heard the death rattle in his lungs.

But Minato continued slowly, "There are others, too, but I think they might all be dead. Kushina's guards were the first to fall, Sensei. Make sure everyone's okay. Or if you can recover their bodies."

"Minato, don't talk. That's already being handled. We just got word that Kakashi's in the hospital along with a couple of Kushina's surviving guards," Jiraiya said.

Minato smiled. "Kakashi...I'm glad," he said. He looked fiercely into his teacher's eyes. "Please take care of Naruto. Will you teach him everything he needs to know?"

"Yes, I promise you, my boy," Jiraiya said, tears streaming down his face as he gazed at him. Minato kept smiling at him, but already, the lights in his blue eyes were fading.

"Thank you," were his last words before his eyes finally closed.

There was an expression of peace on the Fourth Hokage's face.

Jiraiya slammed a fist on the ground and snarled, finally letting out a cry of grief. He was about to do it one more time, but the baby, startled by the sound, whimpered. He reached out a tiny hand and laid it at his mother's chest.

It snapped Jiraiya out of his rage.

"Naruto," he whispered.

This was Minato's and Kushina's son, the life they had created together.

Jiraiya picked him up from Kushina's lifeless arms and folded the child in his own. In his heart, he made another promise. _Naruto, I will be with you to the end, no matter how sweet or bitter it becomes._

He rocked him as gently as he could, even as Hiruzen reached them.

* * *

He watched from the shadows, saw Danzo fall and Minato's struggle to contain the powerful Kyuubi. Now would be the time to pounce, but Orochimaru held back and weighed his options.

Jiraiya was around, he could feel the other's presence in the air. Minato's barrier held firm and would require too much effort just to get through. The Myouboku toads with their Sage power combined were too strong. Sarutobi had also summoned Enma. Yes, Kushina was dying, but Orochimaru wouldn't underestimate a dying mother's love for her child. She could still summon something within her to help defeat him and protect their son.

In short, he wouldn't be able to subdue everyone.

This night, anyway.

Orochimaru was dying. He knew it deep in his bones.

The sickness was slowly spreading, the result of too many experiments on his body. He still had some time left, the threat wasn't immediate. But the only way to prolong his life permanently was to secure the massive amount of chakra stored within the Kyuubi. Orochimaru knew enough tactics and magic to deal with a spirit, especially one he'd been studying about all these years.

He just needed to get past the people who were determined to keep the secret of the Fox in Konoha.

The barrier suddenly faded. Minato was dead, then.

Orochimaru's eyes suddenly sharpened, straining for a closer look.

But Sarutobi, the Uchiha clan, the Naras were all converging upon Jiraiya and the boy. There were too many obstacles now.

He'd missed his chance.

So Orochimaru faded into the shadows, content to wait.

He would come back when everyone least expected it, and show them that all their carefully built plans could crumble at the slightest—and at his whim.

* * *

Mikoto Uchiha's heart stopped when her husband Fugaku hastily walked in, Jiraiya and the Third Hokage right behind. There was a bundle in Jiraiya's arms. She could hear the whimper, the pitiful cries of the newborn.

 _Oh, Kushina_.

It was true, then. When Mikoto had felt and heard the commotion caused by the Kyuubi, she'd hoped that Kushina was still alive. But it looked like neither she nor Minato had made it.

She teared up and involuntarily, her arms tightened around her own child, making Sasuke squeal in protest.

"Mikoto," Fugaku said. "The Hokage and Jiraiya want to talk to us."

"Thanks for seeing us tonight and so suddenly," Hiruzen said tiredly and with an apologetic look on his face. "I'll get right to the point. Danzo finally snapped. He tried to extract the Kyuubi from Kushina but he couldn't control it. Minato killed him, but the Kyuubi went out of control and attacked them both. They sealed the Kyuubi inside Naruto."

Fugaku paled and Mikoto let out a keening cry of grief for her fallen friends. The baby in Jiraiya's arms whimpered again but went back to sleep after the older man patted him reassuringly.

"Can I see him?" Mikoto asked.

Jiraiya nodded and brought the baby closer to her.

Mikoto looked at the tiny life held in the big man's arms and her heart turned over. He was so slight, still red and purple since he was only a few hours old. There was a downy nest of hair on his face. His fine blond hair was soft to the touch when she reached out and laid a hand on his head.

She gave Sasuke a kiss on the forehead and handed him to her husband.

Jiraiya held out his arms as Mikoto wrapped her arms around this small miracle that had managed to survive the night.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she gazed at Naruto. _Kushina! My beloved friend,_ she thought.

She knew why these men had come to her tonight. She looked at Fugaku, who returned her gaze solemnly and nodded.

"Mikoto, Kushina had left instructions for us to bring Naruto to you in case anything happened to her. Will you help us raise him?" Hiruzen said softly.

"Of course," Mikoto answered, wiping away her tears that had landed on the baby's cheeks.

Already, the helpless little boy was firmly worming his way into her heart.

There was never any question of refusing. She would have fought Fugaku and anyone else had they said no. She was going to raise this boy and love him as Kushina would have wanted.

She looked at the Third Hokage and Jiraiya. "Did she suffer? Was she alone when she...?" she asked in a whisper.

"No," Hiruzen answered. "We tried to save her, but Minato had created a barrier that kept us away. They were together, at least, but she passed first. Minato held her as she died."

Mikoto nodded, the lump in her throat making it difficult. She couldn't see anyone past the tears in her eyes. She continued to cradle the bundle in her arms.

The baby was calm in his sleep.

Jiraiya sighed. He looked at all of them when they had his attention.

"Minato named me godfather to Naruto in his will. I promised Minato I would help raise him and teach him everything he knows, but truthfully, I don't know anything about raising babies. I don't think I'll be any use to a newborn right now," he said with a helpless glance at the couple. "Mikoto and Fugaku, if you could help me, I would be eternally grateful."

Jiraiya knelt down and touched his head to the tatami mat. His forehead protector touched the straw.

"Jiraiya, raise your head, please," Mikoto said. She smiled despite her grief. "There was a reason why Kushina wanted to bring Naruto to _me_. Of course, we will do our part."

Jiraiya bowed again. "Thank you, Mikoto. I'll come back to give you updates and check up on Naruto, but whatever you guys need, I'll get it for you."

Fugaku frowned. "Are you leaving? So soon?"

"I have to go find the Fifth Hokage," Jiraiya said.

"The Fifth Hokage? Has it already been decided?"

Hiruzen nodded and answered his question. "I want Tsunade to take over."

"Lady Tsunade? I think she'll be a good choice," Fugaku said. Mikoto nodded, too.

"But I have to find her first," Jiraiya said. He looked at Hiruzen. "And I think I know where she is."

Jiraiya bowed low again to Fugaku and Mikoto. "I'm sorry to do this to you both, but after I get Tsunade to come back, I _do_ have to leave the village. There are just too many loose ends. I want to know if Orochimaru had a hand in this somehow, and I'm the only one who can leave the village and find him. He's still an unconfirmed threat, but I'll be returning to Konoha every chance I get to check up on Naruto and to make sure that he's not going to be targeted again. Nobody knows about the Kyuubi inside of him."

Fugaku was shaking his head in agreement. Mikoto looked at Jiraiya but said nothing.

After a minute, Jiraiya's expression hardened once more. "I also need to go after the rest of Danzo's supporters. We have to root them out. If any one of them aided Orochimaru or Danzo in their quest to gain control of the Kyuubi, then they're just as complicit and must be punished!"

"Jiraiya," said Fugaku. "We've got to be careful and make sure that they really knew what they were getting into. Some of them might be innocent. We don't want all of them punished if they were told nothing about the plans. I have a feeling that it wasn't a well known plot. I'm sure Danzo or Orochimaru and their closest confidants were the only ones who knew about tonight."

Jiraiya's fists clenched. "I want to kill all of them! My heart burns for revenge even though my head knows you're right, Fugaku. To lose Minato and Kushina and to almost lose their son...I want vengeance."

Hiruzen laid a hand on his student's arm. "Then I'm the one most responsible, Jiraiya," he said. "I let my guard down. I didn't think that Danzo would be impudent enough to try anything tonight."

"Gentlemen!" Mikoto interrupted and they all looked at her with surprise. She gazed at them resolutely. "We have more important things to worry about, more than vengeance, more than punishment," she said as she glanced down at the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Revenge and retribution will have to wait. We have to worry about security first. We have a responsibility towards Naruto."

"About that," Hiruzen said. "We'll give him Kushina's last name and hide the fact that he's Minato's son. We have several Uzumakis in the area. I think they can be persuaded to spread some kind of story about an orphan needing help. By tomorrow, everyone will know that Danzo, Kushina, and Minato are dead. Kushina's son will die with her as well. We could probably leak information that the Kyuubi was sealed into her and died as well."

"That's a huge risk to take and a huge lie for everyone to swallow." Fugaku folded his arms and shook his head. It was difficult to think that the villagers would believe it. He added, "What if something happens to Naruto and the spirit becomes unleashed? Everyone will know you've lied."

But Hiruzen was adamant. "That's a risk I'm willing to take," Hiruzen said with a sigh. "If we can make sure that Naruto doesn't come into anybody's attention, the better it is for his safety. He'll be closely watched and guarded, of course."

He smiled at Fugaku. "Plus, I'm trusting you, Fugaku, to see if you can use your sharingan to help control any possible leaks of Kyuubi power if the Fox Spirit tries to get out."

"I'll try," Fugaku said.

"But everyone knows I was Kushina's friend," Mikoto protested. "And Jiraiya just said that Minato named him guardian to his son. People will eventually realize it, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, that can't be helped," Hiruzen said, a frown on his weathered face. "But the Uchiha name will protect anyone from prying too hard into the baby's origins, f _or now_."

The atmosphere changed as they realized that he wasn't going to change his mind.

"Listen, we just need a little bit of time to let things settle, to try to do something about the Kyuubi within Naruto. The villagers will realize the truth eventually, but it won't be until a few years from now. By then it will be too late." Here, the Hokage actually smiled. "Nobody can really do anything at that point. Hopefully, we'll have found an answer to the problem."

It _could_ work.

Hiruzen was known as "The Professor." With a little bit of time, he _could_ eventually find some kind of jutsu or some technique to either suppress or control the Fox Spirit.

Jiraiya nodded as well, knowing he needed to find a way to help Hiruzen manage the problem.

Fugaku and Mikoto looked at each other, already committing themselves to the hard task of using their sharingan or recruiting other Uchihas to help contain the beast should anything happen.

Hiruzen continued, "Of course, we'll do everything to protect him now and then teach him everything he needs to know later. Even if people realize that he's Minato's son and that he's the new jinchuuriki, Naruto won't be completely defenseless from attack."

Fugaku still looked unconvinced, but as he looked at the child in his wife's arms and their own baby in his, he knew that he would protect this family and its new addition with his life.

"Everything will also depend on who he resembles when he grows up," Hiruzen said with an encouraging smile.

Mikoto gave a small, hopeful smile in response.

Yes, when he _grows up_ , she thought, the words reminding her of their duty: to raise him into a happy, healthy boy for the sake of her friends.

She looked at Naruto's face and prayed. She hoped that he would look like Kushina.

* * *

The funeral for the Fourth Hokage and his family was somber but well-attended. Everyone in Konoha had showed up to pay their respects. Minato had been a well-loved Hokage, popular among the villagers and among Konoha's allies. People remembered his kindness, his humor, and his love for the village. Filled with grief, everyone mourned not only Minato but also the loss of his beautiful wife and son.

If people had seen Kushina's friend, Mikoto Uchiha at the funeral with not one, but two babies, nobody commented aloud on the sudden appearance of the second child. Fugaku and Itachi flanked her, both wearing identical ferocious scowls when anybody looked their way. Around them, the rest of the Uchiha clan gathered, the air rife with the unmistakable message to stay away.

Hiruzen's calculations proved to be correct. The Uchiha clan, with their sharingan, made the perfect bodyguard for a helpless child. The fierceness of the clan prevented anyone from outside the family from asking too many direct questions. One dark glance from eyes flashing crimson was usually enough to forestall any comment about the boy with the blond hair.

Fugaku, with the backing of the third Hokage and Jiraiya the sage, made it known that he tolerated no gossip when it came to his family. He was alert to any whispers that floated his way.

Mikoto, with her love for Kushina fueling her motherly instinct to raise an orphaned child, embraced him whole-heartedly and poured her being into becoming the best parent she could be not only for Naruto but for all three of her sons.

* * *

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the long A/N, but please bear with me. I'll only write this one massive one and leave you guys alone for the rest of the story.

I just want to cover my bases and not disappoint as many people as I can by stating upfront what this story is about, especially since this is my first time writing angst.

There's still some comedy, but I've toned down the humor—I think. But with Jiraiya in it, I just couldn't resist :)

The story is structured into three parts: Naruto's childhood, then Hinata's, and finally the two of them together as adults. She doesn't even come into the story in Part 1. They barely interact in Part 2 (starts in Chapter 7) and this is the part where it gets really dark and heavy for Hinata. If you're only interested in their romance, it all starts in Part 3 (starts in Chapter 12). Technically, you _can_ just jump into the love story at the last part. I wrote it so that you wouldn't need to read their backstories. The earlier chapters are about character building to show why they become the adults they are.

Let me know what you think at any time, especially if things are unclear or confusing. What's clear for me might not be for you. Chances are, you're not the only one, and you'll be doing me a huge and wonderful favor by pointing out any mistakes I've made. Plus, I have no idea what I'm doing, so it makes me nervous to see what you guys think of this story.

Lastly, I'm just going to slip this dedication into the first chapter: on a very cheesy and deeply personal level, this is for my beautiful husband, who inspired this story. And who has heard "Can't talk right now, I'm _writing!_ " so many times from me these last few months :p

Thank you!


	2. The Sharingans

**Chapter 2: The Sharingans**

Jiraiya left a few days later after Minato's funeral to pursue the few clues he had of Orochimaru. He left Hiruzen and the Uchihas the responsibility of dealing with Danzo's duplicity. He knew Fugaku would do his job, utilizing the Konoha police force to find out the men responsible for aiding Danzo.

But before he dealt with Orochimaru, he needed to find Tsunade first. Somebody had to help Hiruzen in the defense of Konoha in his absence. Jiraiya easily found her, taking her pleasure in a bottle of sake as she hazarded a bet against her fellow gamblers.

Shizune noticed him first and sat up with alacrity. Her long-suffering air disappeared as soon as she saw him approach with purposeful steps.

"Jiraiya-sama!" she yelled aloud in surprise, startling everyone around the room, except for Tsunade who just glared at her.

"Shizune! Shut your trap. I'm winning here!"

"Shizune! Tsunade!" Jiraiya yelled without preamble. "Get your things and go back to Konoha. As of now, you're the Fifth Hokage of The Village of the Leaf."

Startled, Tsunade dropped the money in her hands and glared at him.

"Jiraiya, what the hell?!"

"Minato and Kushina are dead. Sarutobi-sensei needs you."

"Dead!" Shizune gasped in disbelief.

"As a doornail," Jiraiya said harshly.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's serious face and knew he wasn't lying. She felt a brief spurt of grief for the two shinobi who'd fallen. She knew there was something more important that Jiraiya wanted to discuss with her, but they wouldn't be able to do it here in such a public place.

"You heard him, men," she said as she gathered up her winnings. There was a lot of grumbling. "But hey, at least you guys lost to the new Hokage, so that's something."

Tsunade stood up. "Shizune! Let's go!"

They followed Jiraiya outside and they all went to the hotel where the women were staying.

"Spill it, Jiraiya. There's more to all this."

Jiraiya told her, and Tsunade finally understood the seriousness of the situation. Shizune was already packing even as the tears flowed down her cheeks. Minato and Kushina had been one of her favorite people. And now their newborn son was orphaned, too.

"You know I'm the only one who can find Orochimaru."

Tsunade nodded, a hard look in her eyes. "Go get him, Jiraiya," she said. "If he's any way involved in all of this, make him _pay_."

She harbored no pleasant feelings towards her former teammate. She knew the evil he was capable of. She was glad Danzo was dead, too, because if he wasn't, she would have been the one who would break him—starting with his legs and arms.

Jiraiya's next words snapped her out of her fantasy. "Tsunade, I know you'll be busy, but can you check in on Naruto when you can? I'm not sure I'll be able to get back to Konoha as often as I want."

She nodded. "Of course."

He hesitated for a second then said, "And I'm going to be honest. I think Sarutobi-sensei is getting a little too soft. He's starting to show his age. Make sure you beef up security around Konoha. He left too much of the responsibility on people he shouldn't have trusted."

"Don't blame him too much, Jiraiya, but I'll be on top of it. I didn't want to be Hokage this way, but I have to do what I can."

Jiraiya smiled at her. "If anything happens to me, make sure you tell Fugaku and Mikoto about Naruto's legacy. And don't forget about the toads at Mount Myoboku. And make sure to ge—"

"Jiraiya," Tsunade interrupted with a frown. "Instead of giving me instructions, just don't get yourself dead and come back safely to Konoha."

His eyes flashed with feeling, but he said nothing.

She ignored it then said with a smile, "Get your ass back in one piece."

He looked at her for a long moment and then turned around and left.

"I'll be waiting," she whispered to herself because he was already out the door. "Godspeed, Jiraiya."

* * *

Back in Konoha, Tsunade looked at the aging figure of her former teacher and sighed to herself. She could see now why Jiraiya worried for the old man. He'd lost the shine he once had when he'd been an impressive Hokage. No doubt the old man still had it, but he just didn't _look_ it anymore. The mistake with Danzo weighed on him, and it didn't make him look as imposing as before. It didn't inspire confidence in others.

"Sarutobi-sensei. You have to harden your heart and get rid of any sentimentality you have left for Orochimaru—if he really is involved in this incident. There's nothing redeemable about Orochimaru anymore. Danzo, too. I know he was a comrade and former teammate, but he's a criminal. Remember that he killed the Fourth Hokage and Kushina."

He sighed and nodded.

Tsunade knew he was still thinking about Orochimaru, so she continued relentlessly, "You and I don't believe in coincidences. The likelihood that Orochimaru goaded Danzo to act is more than likely."

Hiruzen looked at her, a sad expression on his face. "Tsunade, have you always been this cold?"

She laughed harshly. "I have, but you just refused to believe that another former student of yours could be so callous."

"You've never been _this_ heartless," he said. "You've changed ever since Orochimaru killed Dan."

Tsunade shook her head impatiently. "No, you're wrong. I've always been cool in my assessment, even before Orochimaru went rogue. You forget that as a medic, I've had to make decisions in the thick of battle and weighed the lives of many. I've had to decide who lives and dies through my jutsu. That takes a will of iron. There were so many that I should've saved but I just left them to die."

Hiruzen looked startled. "I didn't realize."

"No, not many people do," Tsunade agreed, her tone ironic.

"But I'm here now and we've got to do a lot of things and make it right for Minato and Kushina. But first, I want to see their son."

* * *

"So you're Naruto," Tsunade said as she cradled the baby in her arms.

He was wailing loudly, protesting at being held by a stranger he was meeting for the first time. His blue eyes were filled with tears as he looked up into the face of a woman with hard, golden eyes.

She laughed as a tiny fist knocked her on the chest. "Well, he's lively!"

Mikoto reached out to take him from the Hokage, but Tsunade didn't relinquish her hold on the baby. Instead, she held on to him to see what he would do.

He continued to cry until he tired himself out. It took a good ten minutes. Eventually, though, with an angry whimper, the baby settled into her arms and silenced his cries. But he was snuffling more softly, still continuing to protest.

Tsunade grinned at him. "Smart boy," she murmured. "You should know when to give up." She looked up into Mikoto's face.

Miokoto held her arms at her side and didn't reach for the baby again as Tsunade continued to hold him, but she looked concerned. "I'm very honored you're in my home, Tsunade-sama…"

"But having me here is going to arouse a lot of speculation about the baby's identity?" Tsunade finished for her. There was a smile on her face.

Mikoto blushed. "I don't wish to offend you, of course. But yes. Too many people of great importance have been here and it's calling a lot of attention to our home."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, I realize that, Mikoto, but I wanted to see Minato and Kushina's son in person. If it makes you feel any better, I will also pay a visit to the other children born these last few months. I'll just pretend that it's all part of my duty as Hokage to get to know the next generation."

Mikoto bowed. "Thank you."

Naruto's eyes were fluttering sleepily, having completely given up his protests. Besides, it was really warm where he was, making him feel comfortable enough to let go of his worries and let sleep claim him.

Tsunade rocked him gently and looked up into Mikoto's face. She sighed. There was guilt inside her for being unable to save Kushina.

"Mikoto, I wish I'd stayed in the village these last few months, but I really needed the break. It was just too exhausting doing all the work with medicine and healing."

Mikoto shook her head. "Tsunade-sama, nobody's blaming you at all!"

"Thank you for saying that, Mikoto," Tsunade said. "I appreciate hearing it."

Tsunade momentarily looked down at the baby and adjusted him against her shoulder. Naruto sighed in his sleep, and Tsunade breathed in the sweet smell of milk wafting from his mouth.

She looked into Mikoto's eyes and made a promise, her eyes fierce and terrifying. "But I'm back now, and I'll do my best to make sure nothing happens to Konoha on my watch."

* * *

Fugaku stood aghast as he stared at the exhumed bodies of former shinobi at the Uchiha graveyard. He counted eight coffins—matching exactly the pairs of eyes that had been implanted on Danzo's arms.

Nausea rose up in him and he had to take a deep breath. He'd never imagined anyone would be so vile that they'd mutilate corpses and steal eyes, but disturbing the peace of the sleeping spirits brought the depravity into a whole new level.

What made Fugaku feel the most affronted was the fact these were Uchihas, members of his clan.

When they'd examined Danzo's body, they'd discovered all the sharingan eyes underneath the bandages that had covered his arms. Fugaku and the rest of the investigating team had to check the bodies at the Uchiha gravesite. One of the Hyuugas had helped with pinpointing which bodies had missing eyes.

Danzo's motives were clear now. He'd been planning to use the sharingans to control the Kyuubi, and he'd somehow known that childbirth weakened the seal that held the Spirit of the Fox within its jinchuuriki.

Fugaku wished now that Kushina hadn't been chosen. Though he'd known that the decision had been made during his youth, he wished that Kushina had been given a chance to live a happy, normal life. Mikoto had loved Kushina as a friend and the two had been very close. He still grieved knowing he would never see her or Minato again.

He went to report on his findings to Tsunade and her newly appointed advisor, Shikaku Nara.

"We need to find Orochimaru as soon as possible," Fugaku said. "I have a feeling he's involved somehow."

Tsunade nodded. "Agree with you. I'm sending out a few shinobi to help Jiraiya. Send me any of the Uchiha men you think might help."

"I will."

She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her tea. The men waited for her to continue.

"Shikaku and I were just discussing security measures. We've also got to worry about protecting Konoha in case Orochimaru attacks. Can you spread the word among your men?"

"They already know, Tsunade-sama," Fugaku said.

"Good. The ANBU's already been monitoring anybody who might be involved. So far none of them have found anything linked to Orochimaru. I've doubled the shinobi to go on patrol in and around Konoha."

"Yes, my men also have their orders to find any informant willing to give us any information regarding Danzo or Orochimaru."

She pressed him further. "Any word on the Root members who helped Danzo?"

This time Fugaku was tense. "Inoichi's already questioned them. No doubt that we found three of Danzo's supporters. We've got proof that they impersonated the ANBU guards who were meant to protect Kushina. We're waiting for your orders, Hokage-sama."

"Execute them," Tsunade said without batting an eye.

"Yes, ma'am." Fugaku had his orders.

"The others we questioned were proven innocent," he continued. "The Hyuugas helped us out with detecting lies, gauging chakra flow. Inoichi's men were also able to exonerate the ones who knew nothing about the plot."

"Good." Tsunade leaned back when Fugaku fell silent once more. She met Shikaku's eyes then turned back to the Uchiha clan leader.

"Thank you for doing a thorough job with the investigation, Fugaku."

He bowed politely.

"Now we come to the heart of the matter."

Fugaku stood up straighter, fists clenched unconsciously by his side. "My adopted son."

Tsunade smiled thinly, but her expression was approving.

"Right now, only the people we can trust know that Naruto is the new Jinchuuriki. I'm with Sarutobi-sensei. I think he's safe at this point. You and the rest of the Uchihas will be able to do something with the Kyuubi if anything happens. Just send me immediate word if something comes up."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama."

"Jiraiya also has a say in this, since he's legally Naruto's godfather. We'll address it later on when he's old enough to handle the truth. At this point, we don't know how Naruto's going to react to what happened."

"We're going to have to tell him the truth eventually?" Fugaku asked.

"Yes, we do," Tsunade said firmly. "But if he's able to grow up with the right family, he'll be able to handle what we have planned for him."

She aimed a smile at Fugaku, who bowed again. "We will do our best to raise him in our family. Mikoto and I have already accepted him into our hearts. Itachi watches over him and Sasuke like a hawk."

Tsunade laughed. "That's good."

But Fugaku frowned. "But Tsunade-sama, what do you mean _planned_ for him?"

At this, Tsunade leaned back in her chair and stared at him. "Well, it's obvious that Minato and Kushina planned for Naruto to eventually use the power of the Kyuubi, right? Otherwise, why would they seal him within Naruto?"

"Well, Kushina was probably weakened by the birth," Fugaku said as he started to make excuses for Minato's decision, but Tsunade interrupted him.

"Fugaku!" she said with a tap of a finger on the Hokage desk. Her look was disbelieving. "This is _Minato_ , we're talking about. He never acts without thinking about the future."

All this time Shikaku stood quietly beside the Hokage and didn't utter a word. But at her last sentence, his lips lifted in a slight smile.

They both looked at him.

Shikaku grinned at them. "Minato left Konoha his legacy—the security of our future."

It was couched in euphemism, but Fugaku knew what Shikaku meant. Most likely, the Kyuubi inside Naruto could be used as a kind of power for the good of Konoha.

Fugaku felt misgivings thinking about Naruto as a future weapon. It was hard to imagine the scrawny little baby as a potential force, but the Kyuubi's leashed energy was hard to deny. While he and the other Uchihas possessed the sharingan to control it in the future, and he knew what he was meant to do in case the spirit was released, something inside him still recoiled at the thought of doing it.

He really hoped he wouldn't have to do it in the future.

* * *

But first, Kakashi had to be dealt with.

He was recovering in his hospital room when everyone came to see him. Sakumo Hatake was beside his bed, but he stood up when everyone walked into the room.

Kakashi turned his head and tried to sit up, but his father pushed him back down onto the bed.

"No need to get up, you two," Tsunade said.

Kakashi looked pitiful, but he felt even worse. The bandage over his left eye was a painful reminder of what he'd lost. Minato had been his teacher and Kushina had been assigned to his watch. The guilt of his failure was crushing him.

He'd tried to defend Kushina against the attack, but Danzo had held all of her guards imprisoned in a barrier that had frustrated all the ANBU. When one of them had broken through a portion of the seal to allow them to escape, Danzo had been quick to slash his eye, incapacitating Kakashi with a jutsu he hadn't been able to identify and defend against. Danzo then had attacked the rest of the guards.

He'd watched helplessly as Danzo had broken through the already weakening seal on Kushina's stomach and had extracted the Kyuubi. Kushina had fought as best as she could, but Kakashi would forever remember her excruciating cries of pain.

A spasm of guilt crossed his face, and his father reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kakashi could feel tears forming behind his eyes so he breathed out slowly, coming back to the present, where the new Hokage and the leader of the Uchiha clan were proposing a solution for the loss of his eye.

Sakumo looked at Fugaku and nodded.

"Thank you," he said. "I don't want Kakashi to lose his sight, so I would be grateful. But the decision isn't mine to make."

He glanced down and smiled at his son.

Kakashi nodded at Fugaku. "I'll take it," he said. "I've thought about it, and if I can become a stronger shinobi because of it, then I will accept your offer, Fugaku. I'll take one of the sharingans."

"I'm sorry that it had to be this way, but I think you could really master it and be able to use this eye well in the future," Fugaku said.

"I will do my best," Kakashi promised. "Thank you."

* * *

Fugaku walked into the living room and found Itachi sitting seiza style on the tatami mat. In front of him, two sleeping boys slumbered next to each other. Itachi kept a gentle hand over their tummies, patting a steady, reassuring rhythm to keep them asleep.

His father hid a smile.

Itachi looked up at him but didn't take his hands off the babies. "How was Kakashi?"

"Better," Fugaku said. "But it'll take a while for him to recover."

Itachi looked relieved.

"Yeah, and he'll be stronger than ever," Itachi said of his idol. He was confident that Kakashi would survive this. He was already a tough shinobi and easily the most skilled of his age. When Itachi grew up, he would emulate Kakashi and become a jonin at thirteen, too.

Mikoto must have heard Fugaku come in because she slid the door open at that moment bearing some tea and some snacks for them. She brought it to the table, checked on the babies, and kissed Itachi on the head.

She then turned back to Fugaku and sat next to him. She laid a hand on his back.

"Tsunade-sama had sent word about the graveyard. Did you tell the rest of the families what happened?"

Fugaku nodded. "I just came back from Tetsuro's place. I hated telling him that his son's body had been mutilated, but I just didn't want him to find out from others. It was better that he heard it straight from me."

"Yes," Mikoto said.

They were silent a while. One of the babies cried softly, and the two of them swung their heads to the source, but Itachi was already crooning quietly to Naruto. The baby settled, yawned, and went back to sleep again.

Itachi smiled at his parents when Mikoto murmured her thanks.

Fugaku sighed. "There's grumbling among some of the clan. They're not happy we've taken in an _outsider_." He humphed and shook his head in disgust. "But they were completely fine when we were friends with his father, the Hokage."

"We knew this would happen when we decided to adopt Naruto, Fugaku," Mikoto said. "I hope you're not regretting this decision?"

"Never, Mikoto," came Fugaku's deep voice. "This is where he belongs."

When Itachi heard it, relief flitted over his features. He looked at his younger brothers, noting that even though they had different coloring—one so blond and the other so dark—sleeping babies shared similarities. They were both so cute, resting peacefully without a care in the world.

"Naruto is part of the family, no matter what happens," Fugaku was saying.

Itachi strained to listen more, grateful that his parents were including him in this conversation that affected the family and the Uchiha clan.

Fugaku continued, "I just wanted to let you know what's happening." Here he paused and slanted a glance at Itachi, who nodded back at his father.

"I've already heard from some of the others, and I've already told them my opinion," Mikoto said. She didn't tell him that there were several women with red welts the shape of her handprint across their cheeks, but she knew from the slight quiver on his lips that he'd already heard about those incidents.

"It's only a few of them, so we don't have to worry about it so much," Itachi interrupted.

He himself had heard from some of his friends, but none of them were crazy enough to say things that would cause him to flare up and beat them to a bloody pulp. Plus, they knew how skilled he was with shurikens. They didn't need to be close for him to inflict his damage.

"Don't worry, Father, Mother. I'll protect Naruto," he said, his eyes flashed red as he accidentally activated his sharingan. He blinked then glanced down at the babies. "No, I'll protect _both_ of them."

"Without a doubt, Itachi. We know you'll be a great big brother to the two of them." Mikoto smiled at him.

"It's not going to be smooth sailing in the future, but we'll always be a family," Fugaku said. Mikoto reached both arms out and hugged her husband. As she did, her son made eye contact with her and placed a fist on his heart. He then leaned down and gave Sasuke and Naruto a kiss on their foreheads.

* * *

True to her word, Tsunade, as Hokage, visited all the children born that year and noted the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho Formation with relish.

"Oh, and a beautiful baby girl will be added to the mix. Finally!" Tsunade exclaimed. "It's good to see a different dynamic there, but Inoichi is a blubbering mess. He's too in love with that daughter of his."

Mikoto twinkled as she poured the Hokage more tea. Though Tsunade held the office of the highest shinobi in the land, Mikoto drew the line at day-drinking at 10:00 in the morning, refusing her request for something stronger than green tea.

"Shikaku's just as bad when it comes to his son, though."

Tsunade blew the steam off her tea then slanted a concerned glance at the snow piling outside in the Uchiha's courtyard. The walk home later would be cold and windy. She sighed. She hated winter.

"Have you heard anything about the Hyuugas, Tsunade-sama?" Mikoto asked.

"Yes, and I'm so glad I'd been at the hospital when Hinata was born. Shizune's done a wonderful job getting things organized so I was able to get there quickly," Tsunade said. "As soon as I heard that Hiashi's wife was having such a hard time with the baby, I knew I had to step in and help with a little bit of the surgery. They're both doing fine now."

Mikoto placed a hand on her chest. "That's good to hear. I'm happy Rina safely delivered the girl. I know she wanted so much to have this baby. Hinata, is it? That's a beautiful name."

"She's lovely, Mikoto. And quite a very calm baby, from what I've heard. I hope Hiashi will appreciate her. I know his father refused to even look at the baby, complaining that it wasn't a boy."

"Oh, that crusty old goat!" Mikoto said. "He's _never_ happy."

Shingen Hyuuga was not a person she liked. The head of that clan was a holdover from the days of the War, a person who believed in power over everything else. His misogyny was known throughout Konoha. She really hoped that Rina and the baby would be okay.

At least Hiashi was kind. Everyone had been relieved that he and his twin brother were a little bit more reasonable in their attitudes towards women. It was a good thing that he hadn't inherited any of his father's questionable traits. Hiashi could be trusted to do right by his wife and daughter.

Mikoto took a sip of her own tea. "So all these babies will be together in the academy when they grow up. I'm so glad. I hope they all get to be friends."

Tsunade laughed. "You're assuming they'll all want to become shinobi, though."

Mikoto was startled. It was true. She had. They were all members of shinobi clans, she hadn't thought that any child would refuse to become a ninja, would refuse to continue in the steps of their parents, grandparents, and their ancestors.

What if Naruto or Sasuke didn't want to become shinobi? Would she and Fugaku force them? She hoped not, but it would be wonderful to see them grow up and become excellent ninjas.

Tsunade snorted, disrupting Mikoto's thoughts. "I can guess what you're thinking about Mikoto, but I think you guys have nothing to fear. Those two boys will be shinobi. You're a capable one, and Fugaku is known throughout as an excellent head of the police force. Itachi's already on his way to becoming ANBU. With your examples, those babies will be nothing but shinobi."

"I hope so," Mikoto murmured. "It's just I think Naruto will be better accepted into the clan if he becomes a shinobi. That seems to be the requirement that will make everyone happy."

Tsunade let out an unladylike bark of laughter. "With the way Fugaku is?! I doubt anyone will question who Naruto's family is when the head of the Uchihas looks murderous any time any one breathes anything negative about the boy."

Not just within the clan, too. All throughout Konoha, Naruto's early days remained relatively incident-free. Most of the villagers had swallowed the lie that all the members of the Fourth Hokage's family had died that night. Yet, to some of the sharper ones, it seemed suspicious that a blond-headed baby with Minato's coloring and an Uzumaki last name was suddenly adopted into the family of said Hokage's friend.

Still, everyone knew to keep their suspicions to themselves or risk getting cut up by Fugaku Uchiha, who had the backing of the whole Konoha police force.

Among the Uchihas, too, it was hard to argue with the clan head when he was adamant, especially one with a sharingan that was reputed to be the most powerful among the clan. Despite the misgivings of the Uchihas, they accepted that this boy was to be treated as part of Fugaku's family, if not the clan.

Mikoto addressed the boys as her sons, especially the toddlers who were always holding hands, never far apart from each other. Sasuke-Naruto just became part of the vocabulary that the people of Konoha developed.

* * *

It was probably a suicide mission, but retired Hokages could do whatever they wanted.

Hiruzen knew when he'd started out on this trip that he'd said goodbye to Konoha. But the village was in good hands. Tsunade had learned whatever she could from him, had surrounded herself with the best people to help her run the village. She would be a great successor to the title.

His job was done.

His children were old enough. Asuma was proving to be a fine shinobi. His other son also had just gotten married. Hiruzen had been looking forward to the day when he would have become a grandfather. But it wasn't meant to be for someone like him. He would have loved to see that day, but he knew when he'd left for this journey on his own that he would never be able to see his future grandchildren.

Konohamaru would be a fine name to give to a child, he thought, as he walked in the middle of the road, the darkness of the night covering him.

Those dreams he would just entrust to the younger generation.

Now, he only had one more thing left to do.

This was the first place he'd thought to come. He glanced around and felt the air rife with menacing energy. Hiruzen lifted up one of the rocks placed in a circle and smiled when he saw the seal concealing the hidden entrance. In his mind, he reached out to the clone he'd kept as back up, as a relayer of messages to Konoha, but sudden laughter disrupted his thoughts.

"Oh, that clone's already gone, Hokage-sama. You've always been a fool."

Orochimaru was waiting for him, had known his former teacher wouldn't be able to resist trying to find him, to try to atone for his past mistake of trusting Danzo too much.

"Sarutobi-sensei, how did you find me?" Orochimaru asked in his raspy tone. "Jiraiya hadn't been able to find all of my hideouts."

Hirzuzen looked at his former student and felt his heart clench in disappointment. Even after all these years, he found it hard to reconcile this creature with the sweet boy he'd known.

"Jiraiya's heart is pure," he said, his voice reverberating with pride. "He's incapable of thinking of evil as you do, Orochimaru. There's only honor and bravery in him. He's not a coward who hides in the shadows like you and Danzo."

Orochimaru only laughed. "So you've come to finish me off?"

"I can only try," Hiruzen said simply. He raised his hands. He could feel Orochimaru already going on the attack. The Third Hokage felt a moment of regret. He wished he'd had the time to send out a message of his whereabouts. It would have given everyone a hint of where Orochimaru was, but now the secret was about to die with him.

"Yes, ever the protector of Konoha, Sarutobi-sensei," Orochimaru taunted again, seeming to read Hiruzen's thoughts.

But Hiruzen ignored him. He had to give it another shot. This was no time to give up. Above all, Konoha had to be saved.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with their evil light. "But I won't even give you the chance, _Professor,_ " he said as the sword of Kusanagi shot out of his mouth and he lunged at the Hokage.

Hiruzen had barely been able to summon Enma to block the slash of the sword. Enma hissed as the sword sliced into him. Orochimaru whirled again for another strike and Hiruzen countered with a mud release wall he'd built between them. The thick mist he also summoned wrapped around them, and Hiruzen hoped it was enough to buy him a few seconds of time.

But Orochimaru countered quickly, already disintegrated into a pile of writhing snakes before forming into his human shape in front of the Hokage, striking with another blow of the sword.

Hiruzen jumped back to avoid being hit and the clones he'd created countered with giant shurikens. Simultaneously, he and Enma tried a thrusting frontal attack.

But Orochimaru disappeared. There was taunting laughter and then, "You're getting slower, _Sensei_!"

Yes. Hiruzen was nearing seventy and trying to take down a disgraced shinobi with Hokage-like powers. Orochimaru was not only much younger than Hiruzen was, but he was also aided by some ungodly trick to keep his body as immortal as he could.

The more they continued to fight, Hiruzen could feel his strength lagging as he threw every jutsu he'd known against his enemy. For all the information, the tactics and tricks stored in his head, his physical strength was lacking; he just couldn't keep up with the drain on his chakra reserves.

As he was trying to recover his breath from the fireball he'd blasted at Orochimaru, his former student suddenly came up behind him and wrapped him in a chokehold, his snake-like arms and legs immobilizing Hiruzen with a jutsu he couldn't shake.

"No tearful good-byes for you, Sensei," Orochimaru said with a sneer as he drove the sword into the older man's chest. Hiruzen coughed up the blood that had sputtered upward.

Enma disappeared with a puff of smoke as the summoning jutsu wore off. He cursed Orochimaru even as he called out uselessly for the fallen Hiruzen.

Orochimaru laughed as he used his foot to prod the still figure of the third Hokage lying on the ground. "Not what I wanted, but you'll do. I can use your chakra to tide me over for a few years."

* * *

Two years after the Fourth Hokage's death, another funeral was held in Konoha. Shock and fear mingled with the grief. Nobody had expected the normally placid Third Hokage to act so recklessly. Even his ANBU guards had been taken by surprise. Of course, Hiruzen had made sure to put them under genjutsu before he'd left. There had been no point in dragging the men to certain death, because he'd known, of course, that Orochimaru was too strong to be defeated by mere men.

His body had never been recovered but there was no need to tell the villagers that. It was simply enough to know that Hiruzen had died trying to protect Konoha from Orochimaru.

Hiruzen's former students stood side by side as they watched an empty coffin be put underground.

Her eyes were dry. _His_ were filled with tears.

She had suspected he'd planned something like this, but whether it was a code of honor, a certain respect for her former master's wish, Tsunade had done nothing to stop him.

"I need to do this on my own," he lied, and he knew she knew. "I'm just going to feel out where he is. I'm not going to take him down."

She'd only hugged him the last time she'd seen him and whispered her heartfelt thanks for all he'd done for her. He then handed her a scroll filled with places he thought Orochimaru might be hiding.

Hiruzen had laughed. "You will be remembered as a fine Hokage someday, Tsunade. I only hope my actions won't leave a blemish in your legacy."

Even though he'd known he was in the village, Hiruzen didn't seek him out to say his farewell. He knew Jiraiya would try to stop him. To Jiraiya, Hiruzen had left nothing but his deepest affection in a letter that expressed his hope to continue on, to endure as shinobi, and most importantly, to pass on the inherited Will of Fire that they'd both believed in so much.

Into the boy who might have to bring this saga to a close someday.


	3. Boy Meets Sage

**Chapter 3: Boy Meets Sage**

At three, Naruto finally understood who Jiraiya was and the role he played in his life. Of course, Jiraiya had made periodic visits to the Uchihas to check up on him, but Naruto hadn't remembered who he was. He'd still been too young.

Now, though, the adults had deemed him ready to face the truth.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto. The boy with the big blue eyes stared back calmly at the man with the crazy white hair and frowned. They sat across from each other, a low table between them while Fugaku and Mikoto looked on from the side.

Mikoto had her hands clasped loosely in her lap, her smile encouraging as Naruto peered at the man dressed weirdly. He'd never seen clothes like that before. He turned his attention to Fugaku and Mikoto, who both nodded at him. With that, he gazed pensively at Jiraiya again.

"Grandpa," Naruto finally said into the silence.

"Hell, no!" Jiraiya shouted in surprise, banging his hand on the table, startling the little boy, but he didn't cry.

Fugaku chuckled and Mikoto laughed in surprise.

"Maybe we should do formal introductions?" Mikoto said.

Naruto brightened. He'd been practicing. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm three years old!"

He held up four fingers, saw the incorrect number up and used his other hand to fold down his pinky. He beamed at Mikoto and Fugaku when his fingers finally matched his correct age.

Jiraiya smiled despite himself. "I'm Jiraiya, and I guess I'm old enough to look like a grandfather. But I'm _not_ an old geezer."

"Geezer!" Naruto parroted with delight. A new word! He liked the sound of it.

Jiraiya glared at him. Fugaku hid his laughter with a cough then said in a tone that made the boy look up with respect. "We don't use that word, Naruto. It's rude."

"Okay, sorry!" Naruto said and glanced back at the older shinobi. "Jiyaiya," he said as he held out his little hand.

"Sure, kid," Jiraiya said with a laugh, grasping the smaller one in his and shaking it. "I'll be Jiyaiya for now."

Naruto beamed at him and Jiraiya was reminded again of Minato and Kushina. The boy had Kushina's face, but he also had his father's blond hair and blue eyes. He was the perfect mixture of his parents. From what Fugaku had written about him, it also looked like he had his father's keen intelligence and his mother's rambunctious personality.

Fugaku smiled at them. "Naruto, Jiraiya is your godfather."

"Godfather? _Another_ father?" the boy asked, puzzled.

"Yes, and there's one more, remember?" Fugaku said.

Naruto nodded as he pointed to a photo of his parents hanging on the wall. "My blood father, Minato. But it's a secret."

"This is a bit much, don't you think?" Jiraiya asked Fugaku. "It might be confusing for the boy."

"No, he knows the differences between all of us," Fugaku corrected. "Give him a chance, he grasps things pretty quickly."

"Three fathers," Naruto said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. This time, he managed to manipulate his fingers to hold up the correct amount of digits. "Jiyaiya-god, Fugaku-now, and Minato-blood."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Oh, I like that. I'm a god!"

Naruto gave him another toothy grin. "Jiyaiya-god."

"Okay, that's it! Naruto, you're now officially my favorite person in the world," Jiraiya proclaimed with a happy laugh. "You're a charmer."

"He is," Mikoto softly averred, love in her eyes.

There was a sudden disturbance at the door and banging on the panels, which startled everyone. Then a cry of, "Mama!"

Four little fingers managed to squeeze through the crack between the panels, wriggling, but they gave up when they couldn't budge the doors. Then Sasuke's voice squeaked through as he pressed his lips against the opening, complaining loudly, "Papa, too loooooong! Naruto! Come on, I wanna play!"

"Ah! Sasuke!" Naruto said and looked at the adults, his eyes pleading.

"Okay, Naruto, you can go," came Fugaku's voice.

Mikoto stood up and bowed to Jiraiya. "I hope you'll stay for dinner," she said as she held out her hand towards the boy.

Jiraiya nodded his thanks.

Naruto stood up, and in perfect imitation of Mikoto, bowed to Jiyaiya-god first, then grasped her hand. She walked sedately while he skipped beside her. When she opened the door, a dark-haired boy pounced on Naruto with a ready hug. They were off in a flash, leaving their mother to call out a warning to watch their steps as she slid the door to the room shut.

Fugaku's smile was content.

Jiraiya looked at him. "Naruto seems good. How are the other boys taking it?"

"Sasuke knows no different. To him, they're all brothers. Itachi's accepted him completely and treats them both as his younger brothers."

"No ill feelings between them?"

"Nothing, which makes everything seem like a dream."

"That's good, Fugaku."

"Yes, it is. The boys are all very close."

"I'm glad," Jiraiya said with relief. "I think Kushina and Minato would be happy to hear that, too."

Fugaku nodded, more touched to hear it than he cared to admit to the sage. He kept his head bowed, fighting his emotions.

When he finally looked up, Jiraiya looked at him with a piercing glance. "But I get the feeling that you're waiting for shit to explode."

"Yes," Fugaku said. He smiled at Jiraiya knowingly. "And I know _you_ are, too. Isn't it strange that nobody has really tried anything or approached Naruto these past three years? Nothing suspicious at all, considering the creature inside him and who his parents are."

"You're right. It _does_ seem odd, but you guys are always around and nobody wants to mess with you all. You _are_ the de facto head of the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku waved it away, concern for Naruto foremost on his mind.

"I don't want to imagine what will happen when things finally explode—and in my heart, I know it will—but I also don't want to be too complacent."

Jiraiya nodded. "Neither do I, Fugaku. If it makes you feel any better, I'm going to be staying in the village for longer periods."

He looked at Fugaku a little shame-facedly. "To my regret, I just haven't found Orochimaru. He's not in any of his hideouts I know of and there's been no hint of him anywhere. And I'm ashamed to say that I still don't know where Sarutobi-sensei's body is. I really wish I could find him. It would give us the clue to find out where Orochimaru is really hiding."

Fugaku shook his head. "We're all doing our best to find him and to try to discover anything about Orochimaru, too. Please don't think it's only your responsibility, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya sighed. "I can't help but feel that it is. Orochimaru's toying with me deliberately, dangling a hint of where he is, letting me find it, and then he disappears and hides again."

He looked Fugaku directly in the eyes. "I think the best strategy is to lure Orochimaru to us. If he wants to try for Naruto again, then it's best for me to stay in Konoha and be by his side all the time."

Fugaku frowned. "I don't like the idea of using Naruto as bait."

"No, we're not using him as bait, Fugaku, we're protecting him from an unknown threat."

"Still, though." Fugaku sighed. "It worries me."

"Yes, me too," Jiraiya said.

Fugaku glanced at him. He hesitated a bit but steeled himself to say, "So you'll be staying in Konoha. Do you want to have Naruto come live with you? After all, you _are_ his legal guardian."

Jiraiya shook his head. He smiled at Fugaku. "No. Right now, it would be too cruel to take him away from his family. It's too soon. We've got lots of time, so don't worry."

Fugaku released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He nodded gratefully at Jiraiya.

The older man continued, "I'll be here and come as often to make sure he gets used to the idea of me being another father figure. When he's ready—and only if he wants to—Naruto can come live with me. If we do this too suddenly, it will tear your family apart. I think Sasuke and Itachi would feel the loss of their brother, too."

"Thank you, Jiraiya." He bowed at the sage.

Jiraiya waved it away and let out a pent up breath.

"Thank me when all of this is settled. There's just so many goddamned loose ends, it makes me want to tear out my hair!"

Fugaku agreed. But then he stood up, walked a few paces, and opened up a cabinet. He took out the bottle that he'd kept in there specifically for events like these.

"In any case, Jiriaya, tonight, I think we can relax," Fugaku said as he twisted off the top of the sake bottle. He held it up for Jiraiya to see. "This came straight from Tsunade-sama."

Jiraiya smiled appreciatively. "What are you waiting for? Go ahead and pour it out. You and I both know that she only drinks the best."

* * *

Naruto gradually began to see Jiyaiya-god in the village more and came to understand why this strange-looking man had taken such an interest in him and his brothers. He was often at the house having dinner, or sharing a drink with Fugaku, or outside watching him and his brothers play and giving instructions when they messed up.

"Sasuke, good job!" Jiraiya said, but he shot a frown at Naruto. "Not for you!"

Sasuke smirked at him and Naruto stuck his tongue out. He was about to argue, but Jiraiya interrupted.

"Watch my hand, okay? See how I slice it diagonally in the air and not vertically."

Jiraiya's hand came down and made a whooshing sound in the air.

Naruto nodded, then practiced a couple more times, mimicking Jiraiya's movements.

As he continued to watch the two boys unknowingly practice some katas while disguised as play, Jiraiya shook his head at himself. The three of them together made an odd sight, but Fugaku was at work and Itachi was at school. Mikoto had been assigned to a mission and Jiraiya was there to help watch the two young boys.

He sighed, reminding himself that protecting Naruto meant babysitting on some occasions.

But he suddenly smiled to himself. No, that wasn't really true. He was just being jaded. In reality, he enjoyed spending time with the kids. It reminded him of the family he could've had if things had been much more successful with his love life.

Naruto and Sasuke were still copying his movements, their faces scrunched up in concentration.

"Very good, boys!" Jiraiya said. "That's exactly how you chop at a person's neck when you're attacking."

After a few hours of doing this, learning forms for basic attacking and defending moves, the boys flopped back onto the mat with exhaustion. He could see the restlessness settling in them.

Jiraiya grinned at them. He was quite impressed; the two boys showed an aptitude for shinobi work. They were both athletic and active, but more importantly, they had great concentration when learning new techniques.

Sasuke had a slight edge over Naruto, but Jiraiya knew why, of course.

So far, the Kyuubi inside Naruto remained quiet as the boy steadily grew up into a bright and curious child. The Fox Spirit seemed calm, and that worried Jiraiya enough to slowly formulate a plan, but he would need to get his pieces in order first before attacking the beast head-on.

Instead, he relaxed and grinned at both of them.

"I think all that hard work deserves a reward. Let's go get some ice pops."

The boys looked up eagerly and ran to him, already tugging at his clothes and pulling him towards the gates.

"I want strawberry!"

"Chocolate!"

* * *

Through the years, Jiraiya remained true to his word and watched over Naruto—until he became such a permanent fixture at the Uchiha household that he developed a close relationship with _all_ of them.

Sometimes, Tsunade-sama came for visits, too.

Eventually, Naruto understood how Jiraiya came to be his godfather, that he had been orphaned six years ago because his parents had died. Though he knew the meaning of the word _orphan_ , Naruto never felt the loss of his parents because the adults had made sure to let him know what kind of people they were.

He loved having the older shinobi around the house because he got to listen to stories about his parents, the way they would remember Minato and Kushina and would laugh about how much they loved each other. Of course, Mikoto and Fugaku were there to share their own experiences about working with the couple as well. The four had been close friends and had gone on missions together.

Naruto felt their presence in his heart. Every day, he looked at the photos of his mother and saw how his face came to resemble hers greatly. Until finally, the blue eyes peering back at him and the blond hair glinting in the mirror became the exact same shade as Minato's.

When the Hokage and Jiraiya came for visits, dinner at the Uchiha house was usually boisterous, filled with laughter and intimate camaraderie.

That night, Jiraiya and Tsunade had finished two bottles of sake between the two of them and were steadily working on the third one. They were arguing good-naturedly about who was stronger. Fugaku was trying his hardest to prevent the two from arm wrestling on the dinner table.

Even at a young age, Naruto understood how special he was with having two sets of parents. But while the stories of his biological parents filled his heart and mind, his relationship with Uchihas felt more tangible. Naruto watched now as Fugaku's strict features relaxed as he joked around with Jiraiya and Tsunade. Sometimes he would flash him, Sasuke, and Itachi a look of fondness and then remind them to finish what's on their plate.

Mikoto, meanwhile, was busy, often getting up to go get more food from the kitchen or asking Itachi to help out. She was also pouring everyone's sake and would grin at Tsunade when the Hokage refilled hers.

She was sitting beside Naruto and would absently reach out to pat him on the back as she talked to her husband and to the older couple. When Sasuke came over and gave her a hug, she pulled him into her lap while she ate. But Sasuke would easily become bored and go back to his place beside Itachi and continue eating.

The children, meanwhile, were at the far end of the table eating and watching the adults out-drink each other.

"Sasuke, your bowl is about to fall off the table," Itachi warned him. At the same time, Itachi reached out midair and snatched the falling chopsticks from Naruto's side of the table.

"Thanks, Nii-san!" Naruto said with relief. He'd been reaching for the fried chicken in the middle of the table and had knocked them off his rice bowl accidentally.

Sasuke carefully pushed his bowl away from his reach as Naruto accepted the chopsticks from his older brother. Itachi laughed at the younger boys. "You guys are so clumsy! I am forever picking up after you two."

Naruto frowned, but he brightened when Mikoto suddenly patted his head and caressed his cheek. She'd heard them and he smiled at her when he looked up at her. He gave her a squeeze and let out a startled laugh when she hugged him tight and poked him quickly on the side. She then leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

"It's okay, Naruto," she whispered into his ear. "Don't tell Itachi, but he used to do the same thing, too, when he was your age."

Naruto laughed. "I won't," he whispered back and turned to Itachi with a secret smile.

It was hard to feel like he was an orphan when he was surrounded by so much love.

* * *

"That's good, Naruto! Just like I showed you."

Fugaku watched the boy throw his shurikens against the post. Three of them hit the wooden board, but none of them got in the middle of the circle.

Meanwhile, beside Naruto, Sasuke was raring to go. It was his turn to throw them now.

"Okay, now your turn, Sasuke."

Naruto, dejected, moved aside and watched as Sasuke threw the shurikens, his aim true. He hit the target in five quick successions, his eyes sharp as they all got within each other in the circle.

"Whaaaat?! Sasuke! How can you be so good like that?"

"Because I practice every day while you're out playing."

"But I practice every day, too!" Naruto replied with a shriek.

"You're just not concentrating as hard as Sasuke, Naruto," Fugaku said. "Watch how Sasuke visualizes where he wants the shurikens to go first then throws them. You tend to just throw them first without thinking."

"Okay, so I just need to imagine them landing inside the circle. Give it a couple of seconds to settle in my mind then throw them? Does it really work?" Naruto asked, looking doubtfully at Sasuke.

"Yes, it does," Sasuke retorted with a smug smile. "Itachi-nii says it does, so I'm not going to argue against something that works for him."

Naruto shut his mouth. If Itachi said so, then he wasn't going to argue, either. At the ripe old age of fourteen, Itachi had become jonin. Tsunade had personally come to the house to deliver the news to everyone. Last weekend, the family had gone out and celebrated his promotion to the position.

Then Jiraiya had come to take Itachi for a mission together. They were off now, the older man had recruited Itachi to help find Hiruzen's still missing body. Itachi had been in heaven because Kakashi had joined them as well.

"Let's try it again, Naruto," Fugaku said.

Naruto stepped forward and took a deep breath, imagining the shurikens hitting the board. As he opened his eyes and was about to throw them, a flash of red shimmered in the back of his mind, making him lose concentration even as he threw the shurikens again and missed the target. He felt a burst of anger shoot through his veins and he was filled with overwhelming hate and the urge to hurt and destroy. The intensity of it frightened him.

But he blinked and the feeling disappeared when he felt his father's heavy hand patting him on his head.

* * *

"He still can't control his chakra, Jiraiya, and it's holding him back," Fugaku reported with frustration. His face was calm, but his voice was heated as he felt for the boy. He could see the potential in Naruto, but the sloppiness was getting in the way.

"Naruto could be so much better, but he's just really clumsy for someone with his ability. He picks things up quickly, he instinctively knows the mechanics of the jutsus—"

Jiriaya nodded at Itachi and Sasuke. "Exactly like those boys over there."

Fugaku laughed with surprised pleasure. "Well, all three live under my roof and they're all my sons, after all!"

"I expected nothing less," Jiraiya said with a smile.

They were at the Uchiha's courtyard watching as the boys sparred with each other. Itachi was refereeing the match between Sasuke and Naruto. The two younger boys would soon be starting the academy and Itachi had felt the need to instruct them on some of the basics of taijutsu. Sasuke was on the attack and Naruto had his arms crossed in front of him to defend himself.

Jiraiya watched it all carefully, noticing the changes in Naruto. He'd grown a foot taller and he was going to turn eight next month. After bringing Itachi back from their previous mission, Jiraiya had been called away again for a couple of months. He had just gotten back from Amegakure.

One of his contacts at Amegakure had informed him that they might have a clue about Orochimaru. It had been strong enough evidence to compel Jiraiya to go and search. One of the village's foremost medical ninjas had gone missing. They'd found the body, mutilated beyond recognition, until another medic-nin had checked the chakra signatures and positively identified him. There had been snake bites and traces of a mysterious, malicious, chakra on the neck.

They'd all gone and searched, but still, as before, Orochimaru remained elusive.

Jiraiya had given up and gone home instead. If there was nothing he could do about his enemy, then he would concentrate on improving the situation with Naruto instead.

Jiraiya turned his attention back to Fugaku when he began to speak.

"But back to Naruto's problems. As I mentioned in my recent letter to you, he's naturally gifted and he works hard at learning the jutsus, but when he starts doing them, I can see the slight tensing in his eyes. He then falls apart."

"Hmm," Jiraiya said.

"I asked him once about it and he said he sees a flash of red," Fugaku said.

"Hmm," he said again.

"I suspect it's got something to do with the beast inside him."

Jiraiya's sigh was heavy. "Yeah, we're going to have to do something about that soon."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes, and we probably need to tell the other boys, too," Jiraiya said as he watched the boys continue sparring. Itachi was showing Naruto how to do a roundhouse kick, while Sasuke was already twirling and perfectly executing one in the air.

Fugaku nodded.

"But I need help to convince the beast, and that's the problem."

Fugaku sighed. A headache of a problem. But he was worried. He really hoped Jiraiya could do something about the Kyuubi inside of Naruto. He thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't had to use his sharingan yet, but he felt as if the day was fast approaching when he would need to.

Jiraiya gave a bark of laughter as he saw Itachi fighting against his younger brothers. Both Naruto and Sasuke were now working together to land blows on Itachi, but he was doing a good job avoiding getting hit. With one last sweep of his leg, he knocked down the two younger boys.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke shouted. "That hurt!"

"Yeah!" Naruto said as he gingerly stood up and rubbed his butt.

"Get used to it, guys, if you can't even avoid something like that," came Itachi's hard voice. "It gets tougher from here on out."

Both Sasuke and Naruto wore identical glares on their faces as they stared at him. Itachi suddenly smiled, "But I guess that won't be for another couple of months."

He reached out to ruffle both their hair. Sasuke and Naruto lowered their guards and let their older brother play with their hair. They were unprepared for Itachi's attack when he suddenly put each of them in a headlock, making both boys sputter with protest. Itachi then dragged them into the house, uncaring of how rough he was treating them.

"Come on. Mother says you guys have to take a bath before we have dinner."

The younger boys continued to struggle against Itachi's firm hold as all three made their way towards the house, where Mikoto stood waiting, fighting a laugh.

Fugaku snorted with laughter and Jiraiya shook his head.

Fugaku then looked up at Jiraiya and raised a brow, silently asking the older man if he was joining them for dinner.

Jiraiya nodded, never one to miss the opportunity to drink some of the best sake that the Uchihas always served. They started walking towards the house.

"Itachi's right," Fugaku said. "In a couple of months, Naruto's going to have to go to the Academy just like Sasuke. They'll be in the same grade so it's going to be okay. If anybody starts asking questions, they'll be together. But Naruto's really bright and charming, he should be fine. He'll be able to make friends."

Jiraiya glanced down at him. "But?"

"But his shinobi skills are what I'm worried about if we can't do anything about that Kyuubi inside of him."

"Don't worry, Fugaku, I've got a plan."

* * *

Jiraiya ordered a drink and pushed a plate of grilled fish towards Naruto, who gazed at his godfather and picked up his chopsticks. They were eating dinner at a restaurant far away from Konoha in a town Naruto had never heard of before.

A few weeks after his sparring match with his brothers, Jiraiya had taken him and proclaimed that they were going on a trip. At first, Naruto had refused to go, not wanting to leave home by himself, but the whole family had told him he needed to go.

"Why do I have to go by myself?" Naruto had asked, trying to blink back the sudden tears that formed in his eyes when he'd heard the news.

"Are you dumb?!" Sasuke had yelled at him. "You're going to be with Jiraiya so you're not going by yourself!"

"I meant, how come you and Itachi aren't coming with me?!" Naruto shouted back.

"Because this is something only meant for you, Naruto," Itachi said.

"But…" Naruto glanced at Mikoto, who smiled at him. She waited for Itachi to say what he wanted to say.

"Listen, Naruto, you don't have the Uchiha blood. You're an Uzumaki. You're never going to have the sharingan, you understand that, right?" Itachi said, his voice firm, but not unkind.

"I know," Naruto replied quietly. He knew that he was adopted, but it hurt sometimes to hear it said aloud. He didn't like thinking that he was different from all of them, despite the love he felt for being part of this family. But he looked up at Itachi, his older brother that he adored so much, and he realized that Itachi was just stating the truth. He wasn't being mean.

Itachi smiled at him. "So that means that you've got something that _we_ Uchihas don't have, then."

Realization dawned on Naruto. "Something that _I_ can only have? Because I'm not an Uchiha?"

"Because you're an _Uzumaki_." Itachi nodded and grinned at him. "That's why you're the only one who can go with Jiraiya. I wish _I_ could go, too, to be honest. I bet he's going to teach you a lot of things that will be special only to _you_."

Beside Naruto, Sasuke slammed the book he was reading down on the table. "Yes!" he burst out angrily. "And I'm so _jealous_! I want to go, too! But I can't because Jiraiya says this trip is only for _you_."

He looked down momentarily and swiped quickly at his eyes. When he looked up, there was a suspicious quiver of his lips. "But he said he'll take me on a trip with him, too, someday, when it's my turn. It's not fair that he took Itachi on a mission. And now you're going, too!"

It startled Naruto that Sasuke would admit to being jealous, making him feel less anxious about being away from his family for the first time. He smiled at the three of them tentatively.

Sasuke was still pouting, but Mikoto reached out to give him a hug. He squeezed her back for a few moments but struggled against her hold when he felt better. He wasn't a baby; he was already eight-years-old.

She smiled.

Itachi suddenly reached out and poked Naruto on the forehead, making him laugh in surprise.

"Nii-san!" he said as he clutched his forehead.

Itachi grinned at him and then gave him a hug. Naruto suddenly found himself catching his breath as Itachi wouldn't stop poking him on the side, tickling him until he was shrieking with laughter. Sasuke left his side of the table to join them, launching himself into the middle of the fray. Pretty soon, all three boys were a mess of flailing legs and arms on the tatami mat, as each tried to outdo the other in the tickling.

Mikoto finally had to put a stop to their shenanigans. "That's enough, boys. It's late. You guys go brush your teeth. It's time for bed."

Itachi and Sasuke stood up and immediately left after giving her a hug and a good night kiss, but she held Naruto back for a minute.

He stood looking at her for a long while before Mikoto gathered him into her arms and gave Naruto a fierce hug.

She sighed as she felt his tight arms around her, how thin his arms were still. She'd wanted him to be a little bit sturdier before he left, but Jiraiya had felt now was the time.

She knew he was still apprehensive about the trip despite Itachi's words. Mikoto reassured her youngest child as best as she could.

"I wish you weren't going so far away, because I'll miss you so much, Naruto, but think of the things you'll see on this adventure."

Her hand was moving soothingly up and down his back.

Naruto hugged her back, sighing deeply as the flutter in his heart settled down. It would only be for a short time, he thought. There was no need to worry. He would come back home to his family after his adventure with Jiraiya.

"It's going to be so much fun," she said as she played with his hair then patted his head when he nodded into her tummy.

Naruto grinned up at her, his arms still wrapped around her torso. "I love you, Mikoto."

As she looked into those trusting blue eyes, Mikoto's heart started slowly breaking. She hated the thought of him being so far away from her, but she knew it was for his protection that Jiraiya was taking him on this trip.

Instead, she smiled at him and said, "I know, baby, because I love you, too."

He gave a little laugh and snuggled more closely into her warmth.

Mikoto sighed as she gripped him tighter against her.

It was too late, her heart was already missing him.

* * *

Back at the restaurant, Naruto watched Jiraiya take another swig of sake straight from the bottle. The man was getting redder and redder with each sip.

"Jiraiya, I don't think both my moms will like that," Naruto said.

Jiraiya frowned at him from across the table. "How do you know Kushina won't like me drinking?"

Naruto made a face and rolled his eyes. "I can make inferences. You know Mikoto always tells me stories about my mother."

Jiraiya was arrested from taking another sip from the bottle. He put the sake down. The kid had a point. He felt a guilty spurt inside.

Instead, he said, "Inferences. That's a fancy word for someone your age."

Naruto frowned at him then sighed as he patiently explained, "I can _read_ , you know. I looked up the meaning. Plus, Mikoto and Fugaku teach me a lot of things."

"Heh!"

"And also, Mikoto said something about you and womanizing, but she wouldn't let me look up the meaning of that word. What's that?"

Jiraiya choked and gave an involuntary spurt of laughter.

"Nothing you need to worry about until you're older!"

Naruto continued frowning at his godfather. "Well, _womanizing_ sounds bad."

Jiraiya smiled wider as he gazed at the bright, blue eyes of his godson, who was beginning to resemble Kushina in personality so much. Fugaku and Mikoto did a good job raising him, he thought. But then Jiraiya gave himself a mental pat on the back. He, too, had contributed to the boy's well being. The fact that Naruto was with him meant that the boy trusted him and accepted him as a father-figure, the same as he did with Fugaku.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Naruto asked as he chewed his rice.

"We're waiting for a messenger. We're going to a place called Mount Myouboku because we're being summoned by an ancient being."

"Why?"

"Because it's time for you to learn new things."

"New things?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. You're going to the academy soon, so you need to be prepared for a lot of things that you need to learn about your past."

Naruto frowned again but kept eating. "I thought you guys already told me everything about my parents?"

Jiraiya inwardly sighed. How does one go about telling a child that they had a demon inside of them? He was going to have to wait and see what the Great Toad Sage would say first before springing it on the boy.

Instead, Jiraiya picked up his own chopsticks and finally put some food into his mouth. He needed to fill his stomach to soak up all that sake he'd just drank.

"You know you're the fourth Hokage's son, right?" he said after swallowing a mouthful of rice. "But it's supposed to be a secret."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I've been good. I haven't told anyone. Plus, nobody's ever asked me about it so I've never had to say anything about it."

"That's good. You can keep secrets, then. We can trust you."

"Trust me?" Naruto looked pleased. "So some secrets are okay to keep?"

"Sometimes. Especially since we're trying to keep you alive."

Naruto sobered. "Yeah."

"Good," Jiraiya said. He pierced the boy with a dark glance. "You need to understand that this world isn't all rainbows and unicorns. There are some truly evil people out there to get you."

For a second, Naruto looked scared, but he gazed at Jiraiya's big, reassuring frame and smiled. "But you're here to help me, right? Fugaku said that's why I'm learning as much as I can so that I can fight against the bad guys. I know I'm not strong enough yet because I'm still young, but when I'm big enough, then I can do it by myself."

Jiraiya reached over the table and placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. He gazed solemnly at the young face. "Naruto," he said. "I'll be here and I'm going to teach you everything you need to become strong enough to fight the bad guys."

In his mind, he thanked the fates that had brought Kushina and Mikoto together. The two had been such good friends that the Uchihas had been honor-bound to protect and watch over Kushina's son in his parents' absence.

"You're going to learn more about a lot of stuff, but we need to go to Mount Myouboku first before I can tell you about it," Jiraiya said as they finished their meal.

Naruto looked excited. "Tell me more about Mount Myouboku."

"It's an ancient place where we're going to meet some crazy characters that are older than time."

Naruto glanced at him in surprise. "Crazier than _you_?"

"You little sh—"

Naruto held up a hand. "No cursing around me, Jiraiya! You promised Mikoto. If you curse, that's a secret I'm _not_ going to keep."

Jiraiya glared at him. "You know, I liked you better when you were cute, when you called me a god."


	4. The Toad and the Fox

**Chapter 4: The Toad and the Fox**

The long-awaited summon finally came the next day, early next morning when the toad assigned to pick them up rushed in breathlessly and with an apology for Jiraiya.

"Gamataro!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "Finally! Took you long enough to find us!"

Naruto peeked at the toad who was still bowing apologetically to his godfather.

Gamataro suddenly stopped speaking and glanced at Naruto with curiosity.

Jiraiya introduced them. "Naruto, this is Gamataro from Mount Myouboku. He's going to help us get to our destination quickly."

"Hello," Naruto said, eyes wide as saucers as he looked at the mystical creature.

"Naruto, nice to meet you!" Gamataro said with a bow. Then he turned to Jiraiya. "We can all chitchat when we get to our destination. I'm sorry again for being late, but we have to go now. Are you guys ready?"

"Ready for what?" Naruto asked as he looked at Jiraiya, too.

Jiraiya ignored the question but grabbed Naruto's hand and held it as Gamataro made his hand seals. The two humans disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The next thing Naruto knew, he was staring at a mountain that towered over giant mushrooms and colorful toadstools. There was a waterfall rushing a few yards away from where he and Jiraiya stood. He could hear frogs croaking and birds chirping in the background. Dense vegetation crowded his senses, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. In fact, the air felt light and crisp, filling his lungs with a kind of calmness when he breathed it in.

Gamataro suddenly appeared with a bang and smoke shimmered over him. When the haze cleared, Naruto clearly saw that behind the summoner were giant stone carvings of what looked like...toads.

He tugged at Jiraiya's hand and pointed with his other at the stone creatures, their faces frozen in grotesque expressions of fear and pain. "Jiraiya," he whispered. "What are those?"

"Hm?" Jiraiya said as he looked at what Naruto was pointing at. He grinned at him. "Oh, those are just the bad toads who didn't listen and they had to be punished."

Naruto paled and took a closer step to Jiraiya. His grip on his godfather's hand tightened.

Jiraiya laughed and ruffled his blond hair. "Nah, just kidding, Naruto. Those are just toad statues."

Naruto nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."

Gamataro was motioning for them to follow him so Jiraiya tugged at the little hand he still held and they all walked towards the Hall of the Great Toad Sage.

"Jiraiya-chan!" Fukasaku greeted with a wide smile. "He's waiting for you."

Naruto looked at the little toad with the faded green cloak and smiled.

"Naruto, this is Fukasaku, my own master. One of these days, when you're old enough to handle it, we'll teach you what you need to become even stronger."

Naruto beamed wider.

"But right now, we've got to go see the Great Toad Sage," Jiraiya said.

Fukasaku was nodding at him. "Oh, Naruto-boy. So tiny, compared to Jiraiya-chan."

They quickly walked into the hall where Naruto finally met the original Great Toad Sage. It was underwhelming, but he felt himself smiling at a strange creature lying in what looked like a giant, green, faded, dog cushion. The giant toad's eyes were closed. He looked like he was sleeping, but there was no snoring, though.

Then the creature opened his eyes slowly, smiled drowsily at the boy and Naruto found himself responding to the old toad with his own sleepy yawn.

He was asleep in an instant. Jiraiya caught him before he hit the ground. He glared at Gamamaru. "Did you just put him under genjutsu?!"

"Well, yes," Gamamaru said.

"That's kind of a sneak attack. You guys haven't even been properly introduced!"

There was a weak bleating that sounded like a laugh from the old toad.

"I can do whatever I want. I am a _sage_ ," he said, voice quavering as he put on his frail-old-geezer act.

Jiraiya, already used to it, rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

Gamamaru was a sage for a reason. He was a creature to be feared and respected—but sometimes, his moments of brilliance were eclipsed by his moments of lunacy.

"Completely bonkers," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, but he gently cradled Naruto as he sat down cross-legged on the floor. "Now what?!"

Gamamaru let out a whiny breath then mumbled, "We'll do the introductions later after we confront the Fox."

Jiraiya snorted. He patted the sleeping boy's stomach and looked up at the sage. "Go ahead. The beast is all yours."

* * *

Inside Naruto, the beast waited. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

Finally, a chance to escape!

Kurama had seen it all from where he normally slumbered. He'd thought the toads would break the seal and he'd been prepared to attack anyone who came into his cage.

His expectations, however, were dashed. Instead, he blinked in surprise as he found himself suddenly transported into another world, away from his usual dark cavern.

This one was just as dark as his cage, but a different energy vibrated throughout. It wasn't as oppressive and as dank. Here, without the bars, the air flowed, crisp and fresh, breathing life into the Fox as he felt a kind of buoyancy that had been stolen from him since his imprisonment.

In front of him, he faced his enemy, but Kurama held back, all thoughts of escaping fled his mind. Instead, he was on high alert.

He looked at the indolent form of the Great Toad Sage seemingly content to just lay there and gaze at him lazily. Despite himself, Kurama felt a trickle of fear. Gamamaru may look incompetent, but Kurama wasn't fooled and he wasn't going to lower his guard.

This was the master of the one who had created him. This was Gamamaru, the original teacher of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of the Six Paths.

Yes, Gamamaru was _old_ , older than time, and even more worrying, all-mighty because he possessed power that even Kurama couldn't comprehend. He looked at the deceptively half-closed eyes and the lazy posture, but knew in his heart that this toad had the power to cut him to shreds if he answered with a wrong move.

"Kurama," came the languid voice.

The fox spirit remained silent.

Beneath the wrinkles and the gray brows, Gamamaru appeared to smile. "Yes, that's the correct response when meeting your elders. Respectful silence. I like that."

They stared at each other, Gamamaru never rising from his side.

Kurama held his gaze but eventually grew impatient until he finally growled, "What do you want?"

"Oh, you already know," came the frail voice from the crinkled face. "This boy. Naruto. He's your vessel. You take care of him because if you don't, I will snuff you out," said the toad in an unhurried, wimpy tone.

He was still looking lazy and still looking half asleep.

Kurama growled. He was not to be made a fool of, no matter how ancient a creature this was. He was about to lash out, claws unsheathed, but he stopped when Gamamaru spoke again.

"He is your vessel," came the voice. This time it was stronger, filled with threat.

Gamamaru suddenly changed from being lethargic to powerful. A gust of pressure emanating from him pressed upon Kurama. The toad slowly sat up and Kurama found himself unconsciously taking a step back.

"Besides," the ancient one said. "You owe your master to take care of him. You feel it, too, don't you? The soul of Hagoromo Otsutsuki in this child? This is why you haven't really been going on a rampage these last few years."

For one second, Kurama was speechless. How did he know?

But he responded, "What are years when you've been alive for eternity?"

Gamamaru's eyes flickered with approval. "Exactly. It was different, wasn't it? To see this boy grow up? You came into Mito and Kushina halfway through, but you've been together with Naruto since the beginning."

"Yes," Kurama admitted reluctantly.

"And I suspect you feel it in him? The spirit of your old master lives in this child."

Kurama remained quiet. So it was true then. He'd long suspected that was how the Uzumakis had such powerful chakra that could bind him. Hagoromo, after all, had born children. His blood had been passed on to the Uzumakis.

"He's kind. He'll treat you well," the Toad Sage said.

"Kind!" Kurama snarled suddenly. "But you're still restraining me and limiting my freedom!"

Gamamaru patiently explained, "Only for a little bit more. Once you make peace with him, you'll be able to gain your freedom through the boy."

But Kurama wasn't buying it. "Freedom! To be used in such a way is not freedom."

"We are creatures elementally bound to this world; we can only choose to accept our fate and do the best we can," Gamamaru said.

"Or I can kill this child without thought and gain my freedom in his death."

Gamamaru's face was understanding as he let the words echo in their space. In his eyes, sympathy flickered. To a proud creature like Kurama, relegated to humiliation being chained to a child, hearing this was always going to be difficult. But there was a better way than death.

He said an undeniable truth: "Kurama, there will always be others who seek the power that you contain. You will always be hunted and targeted."

Kurama cursed. "Then it would be better for me to die."

Gamamaru nodded. "Yes, that is always an option."

"Better than being enslaved!" Kurama roared.

The toad remained quiet, but the eyes that were watching the fox were sharp and assessing, peering into the part that could be called the Kyuubi's soul.

"Or you can choose to live and gain salvation by helping others," Gamamaru said.

Kurama had had enough. He was not to be lectured. He growled low in his throat and crouched down into a position to strike.

Unperturbed, Gamamaru merely slammed a heavy fist down on the floor. There was a loud crack as a hole appeared, reminding the beast that in this world, at Mount Myouboku, natural energy, the origin of all life, triumphed over chakra beings.

Kurama straightened up and glared at the Sage. With the overwhelming show of power, he'd been suddenly put into his place.

Gamamaru continued as if the interruption had never happened. "Think about it, Kurama. He's your vessel. You can help guide him towards the path both of you are meant to fulfill. Become a warrior."

"Hmph! A _warrior!?_ " Kurama said with a sneer. "A tool."

"There is another of your kind, one who lives in a land where the people use lightning, a land bound by the sea, hidden in the clouds."

Kurama paused. "The Eight Tails. Gyuuki."

"Yes. He's formed a lasting bond with his vessel. In times of need, the Eight Tails becomes unbound and fights for the people, a duty he shares with his human."

Kurama was quiet.

"It's a choice," the toad said again.

Silence reigned as Gamamaru tried to appeal to the beast, tried to remind him of the days when others had been kind. He could sense the memories flitting in the back of Kurama's mind.

"There was a time once, when you weren't a demon, when you hadn't been filled with hate and evil...when you were _just_ Kurama, a Fox Spirit."

Kurama suddenly found himself transported to a time when he'd walked the earth freely. Next to him stood Hagoromo, eternally kind, eyes forever peering at him with expectation.

"Choices give you freedom," had been one of the sage's favorite expressions.

Even in his imprisoned state, Kurama had known deep in his heart that this boy and his clan—the Uzumaki family that had held him chained to their chakras and had been his past vessels—had been able to do so because of this fragile connection with the original sage, the god of Shinobi as he'd been called.

"Kurama, one of these days, you'll feel my presence again and remember me when the time is right," Hagoromo had said, his voice weak as he neared the end of his life.

Hagoromo had chosen to be kind to beasts, to people, had done his best to spread his message of peace.

Kurama could _choose_ to be kind, too, to show goodwill to this boy.

His vessel...his possible salvation.

He had no choice about being bound to the boy, but as Gamamaru had said, he could reinvent the narrative and take some of the positives from this situation. Yes, Kurama didn't have the freedom to roam around now but he could change the situation and befriend this boy, maybe shape their relationship for the future.

It was something different, something they could do _together_.

Gamamaru's voice broke into his thoughts.

"We will unseal you if you so choose it."

Kurama gave a defeated sigh, came to a decision. "Undo the seal. I'll do it."

Gamamaru's weak bleating laughter suddenly echoed in the chamber. He was back to his doofy, old geezer act. "Actually," came the frail voice. "Only Naruto can unseal you. I forgot, hehe."

Kurama rolled his eyes as Jiraiya had done earlier. He was in for another wild ride.

But if he would admit to himself, he realized now why Hagoromo had been a goofy character even as he was hailed a sage. He'd learned from his master, Gamamaru—the original nutty one.

"Fine, bring the boy, then."

There was another satisfied chuckle and Kurama looked at this sage, his expression curious.

He asked, "Why do _you_ , a creature with so much power at your disposal, have loyalties to these humans with their weaknesses and their frailties and their capacity to destroy each other?"

Gamamaru smiled. "Precisely _because_ they are weak and frail and have the capacity to destroy each other."

* * *

Naruto found himself suddenly awake, facing a giant reddish brown fox with huge claws and fangs staring down at him. They were in some kind of cage.

"Argh!" he yelled in panic, scrambling to stand up. His feet were submerged in water, but they didn't feel wet. He looked around but didn't see Jiraiya or any of the toads that he'd met earlier.

"Jiraiya! Gamataro! Fukasaku!" Naruto screeched. "Where the hell are you guys?! Let me out!" He ran to the bars and shook it as hard as he could, trying to find the lock, and also trying to squeeze his body through the opening.

His heart started pounding when the fox suddenly growled, "You are so loud! Shut up!"

It distracted Naruto momentarily from his panic when he heard the deep voice. He faced the beast. "Wait, you can talk?"

Kurama grumbled. "Tch. You just met toads that greeted you and you're asking _me_ if I can talk?"

Naruto flushed. "Right."

But knowing this creature could talk somehow eased his fear a little. Naruto looked up with curiosity. "Who are you? Where are we?"

Kurama let out a huff of frustration. "I see these people who call themselves your guardians are leaving me the task of educating you."

Despite the gust of momentary anger he felt from this fearsome creature, Naruto stood bravely. He nodded.

Kurama sighed. "To put it bluntly, kid, I am inside you. I'm the Fox Spirit that your father planted within you when you were just a baby."

Naruto stilled. They faced each other, the truth finally out in the open.

"You're the reason I'm an orphan."

Just a boy, Kurama thought, as he stood up to his full height and looked down on such a tiny, frail creature.

There was regret in his voice as he admitted, "Yes."

Naruto looked up, neck straining. "Did you mean to do it?"

Kurama was startled. Nobody had asked him that question before. He shook his head. "No." He meant it. "I was being controlled by somebody else at that time."

The boy must have understood because the tense expression on Naruto's face softened. He must have heard the apology in Kurama's voice.

"Okay," Naruto said softly.

It sounded a lot like forgiveness.

_Thank you._

But Kurama didn't say anything aloud because he couldn't speak. All this was still too new. Naruto's childlike trust and innocence was proving to be his undoing.

"I'm Naruto," said the boy with a tentative smile.

Choice.

Kindness.

Salvation.

His vessel.

Kurama nodded. "I'm Kurama."

* * *

"Naruto, come back!" Jiraiya's voice suddenly jolted him back into the real world.

The fox disappeared. The cage, the bars that bound them faded.

Naruto blinked and he was back in the hall where the Toad Sage gazed at him dreamily. Jiraiya was frowning while Fukasaku was clapping his hands excitedly.

"First contact, Naruto-boy!" the little toad said.

"Well?" Jiraiya asked, concern in his eyes.

"Something is inside me. A spirit? But a giant fox," Naruto said. "And I think since birth? His name is Kurama."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry you had to find out this way, kid," Jiraiya said as Naruto lay in his arms. "This isn't the best way to tell you of your true history, but with so many things in play, we had to wait to make sure you can understand."

Naruto was quiet. "He said he didn't mean to do it, that there had been someone who controlled him. So then it wasn't truly his fault, I think."

His godfather sighed. "Yes, there's still Orochimaru who hasn't been caught."

He looked at Naruto closely. "Are you ready to forgive the Kyuubi for what he did to your parents?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess. That's the only thing I _can_ do. He's inside of me and it looks like he's going to be there for a long time."

"You're pretty calm about all of this, considering what he did to Minato and Kushina," Jiraiya said with a frown.

Naruto smiled, enjoying the feel of his godfather's reassuring arms around him. "It's like you said, and what Mikoto and Fugaku always say: what people do matters. Actions always speak louder than words."

Jiraiya grinned suddenly. _Ah, to be a child again,_ he thought _. Everything was simple to them._

"I know Kurama seemed like a monster at first glance, but he could've cut me up and crushed me easily when I was in his cage," Naruto said. "But he _didn't_. And that has to mean something, right, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya smiled, more gently, this time. "Yes, it does, Naruto."

There was an approving murmur from the listening toads. Jiraiya looked at Gamamaru, who nodded meaningfully.

"Okay!" he said as he pushed Naruto up to a standing position. "Let's go for a walk then."

* * *

"So you talked to the beast?" Jiraiya asked Naruto once they were outside under the bright, open sun.

"Yep!" Naruto answered with a burst of energy. The little nap at the toad's hall had invigorated him. He felt like he could conquer the whole world. "Kurama seemed friendly."

Friendly?! Jiraiya thought with disbelief. A chakra being that is the embodiment of hate, _friendly?_

He looked at Naruto's happy face and felt a little bit better. It seemed that he and the beast were already on a first name basis... but he was still suspicious of Kurama.

Jiraiya needed to test it somehow. It would just require a massive leap of faith on the beast and whether Naruto had the smarts to figure out how to survive.

"Listen, kid, I'm teaching you something that you'll probably learn in school once we get back to Konoha, but you're going to have to show me you can do this, okay?"

He took out a scroll. "Sign your name here," he said.

Naruto did.

"This is called the Summoning Jutsu. What happens is that you just signed a contract with an animal that will help you when you need their help. Whenever you need any of them, you keep an image in your head of the creature you want, draw a little bit of blood, and say the jutsu's name. Most people bite a bit of their skin, usually their thumb, to get that drop of blood."

Naruto looked queasy, but he nodded. "Okay."

"Now look at the names on that scroll. Recognize any familiar ones?"

The boy peered intently at the list. "Oh, Jiraiya, you're here! And Namikaze...that's my dad!"

Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "Yes. You're part of the contract now."

"Awesome!"

"Sure, kid," Jiraiya said. "What's even more awesome is that you can summon anything, like a frog as small as a mouse. They can be messengers and helpers. You can also summon giant creatures the size of mountains."

Naruto was excited. He could barely contain his energy. He liked the thought of seeing giant creatures appearing magically at his call. After all, he just found out that he had one living inside his body.

Jiraiya smiled weakly. "Want to give it a go?"

"Sure!" Naruto said with a happy yelp.

"So we need to find space for something as big as a mountain to appear." Jiraiya pointed at the cliff. "That's perfect."

"Hmm," Naruto said, puzzled. He didn't know how the cliff would help him, but he was raring to try out this new power.

"Let's go," Jiraiya said as he started walking. Naruto followed beside him, looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes.

Jiraiya glanced down but had to quickly turn away from such innocence. "You think you can talk to this friendly beast inside you to help you out?"

"I think I can," Naruto said. They were now at the edge of the cliff. He peered into the abyss and looked up at his godfather.

"Right," Jiraiya said as he reached out and suddenly shoved the boy off the cliff.

The next thing he knew, Naruto was falling, screaming his head off in a panic because he hadn't expected his godfather to suddenly kill him.

Through the rushing wind, he heard Jiraiya's voice calling out, "Talk to that beast!"

Mainly to avoid looking at the fast-approaching earth that would surely kill him, Naruto squeezed his eyes shut.

 _Okay, don't panic,_ he thought.

_Kurama? Kurama, where are you?_

"What the hell is this?!" came a low, answering growl. "You humans sure keep doing stupid shit. Why are you falling?! If you die, I'm done, too."

 _Um, I need your help,_ Naruto said. _I don't want to die just yet._

For some reason, the beast remembered another voice saying those words eight years ago. A dying woman who'd held a newborn as she'd fought against the injustice of her situation. Kushina had wanted to see this boy live.

"Yeah, kid," Kurama said. "I'll help."

 _What do I do?_ Naruto asked.

"Didn't you hear the old man say to summon something? Something big enough to handle my chakra."

_How will that save me?_

" _I_ don't know! You're supposed to be smart! Figure it out!"

_Gah! I can't think clearly if I'm falling and panicking._

"Well, you can't think either if you're dead!"

 _Right!_ Naruto said as he racked his brain. _Something that flies? But I can only summon toads. Toads don't fly!_

_But they jump!_

And Naruto opened his eyes, pictured a toad-like creature the size of a mountain, bit into the pad of his thumb, held his palm out and yelled, "Summoning Jutsu!"

Incredibly, his chakra and Kurama's melded for one brief moment. Naruto felt the surge of power as a giant toad appeared to cushion his fall and block his view of the earth.

Up above the cliff, Jiraiya watched it all with a grin. It had taken Naruto about five minutes to figure it all out. So the beast was really friendly, then. Gamamaru had been right. Kurama could be trusted.

The pounding in his chest slowed. The guilt also faded.

_Thank god._

Gamabunta bounded up and gave Jiraiya a wink. "I was on standby for you just in case he wouldn't be able to figure out," he called out. Naruto was clutching the toad's hapi, holding on for dear life with one hand even as he held the other hand to his stomach.

"Thank you, thank you," he was mumbling in a low voice.

When Gamabunta landed with a cloud of dust next to the sage, Naruto slid down the back of his rescuer and retched into the soft earth.

When he was done, he fell back and looked up at the sky and into the summoned toad's face. "Thank you, sir! Whoever you are."

Gamabunta laughed then introduced himself. Naruto sighed. Another friend, then.

Then he turned to his tormentor.

"Jiraiya, you—you geezer!" he gasped. "I'm never going to forget this! When I'm old enough, I'm going to get you back! I'm going to throw you off a cliff, too, and see how _you_ like it!"

* * *

With the introduction of Kurama into his life, Naruto learned the secret that the adults had kept silent about for nearly eight years.

At first, it had been overwhelming. There were so many magical creatures he was meeting for the first time: the toads at Myouboku and then the fox spirit who called himself a demon. But being the curious child he was, he was more excited by the idea of having these beings as friends and allies.

And as his family and Jiraiya had made sure to love him and never let him feel lonely or isolated, the loss of Naruto's parents under the inadvertent hand of Kurama never bothered him. He learned about Danzo and Orochimaru and why sometimes Jiraiya had needed to leave Konoha to search out answers.

When they'd gone back to Konoha, Naruto was still pondering the new knowledge he'd learned. He was silent as Jiraiya held his hand the entire time on the walk home. When they got to the house, his grip tightened on his godfather's hand. He asked, "Jiraiya, one of these days, you'll take me with you and we'll go on a mission to find Orochimaru together, right?"

Jiraiya looked down at him and ruffled his hair. He smiled as he opened the gates to Fugaku Uchiha's house. "We will, Naruto. Someday. But you have to go to the Ninja Academy first."

* * *

Naruto spent most of his academy days splitting time at Mount Myouboku and Konoha. At the academy, he made new friends and learned the basics of being a shinobi—though he'd already surpassed most of the kids his age because of Fugaku's supervision. Unsurprisingly, he and Sasuke rose to the top when it came to taijutsu and shuriken training. Sasuke was a natural prodigy, it was undeniable.

Naruto, meanwhile, found himself struggling to control the power that Kurama had. Once they had undone the seal that had kept the beast locked, Naruto had to learn how to master the energy that had been released into his body.

At the Academy, when doing exercises, Naruto would sometimes overexert too much chakra, accidentally calling upon Kurama's instead of his own, causing unintended destruction. Then he would be scrambling to come up with sudden excuses to explain the surge of power he'd used at that instant, knowing he wasn't supposed to be using Kurama's power in the village.

It was a secret he would need to still keep.

Naruto would often be at the principal's office being scolded by Iruka-sensei and would sit trembling, unable to face his parents when they'd been called in.

Most of the time, Mikoto and Fugaku were supportive, but Naruto still hated disappointing them.

When classes were not in session, Jiraiya had continued taking him to Mount Myouboku to see the toads and where Kurama was allowed to roam free. They'd try switching back and forth to strengthen the link between their psyche and chakras. He was still trying to separate which chakra to use, to distinguish which one was his and which one was Kurama's. Naruto could remain in Kurama's chakra and feel the enormity of the beast's power. What he loved most was being up high, seeing the view from Kurama's eyes.

"He needs to stretch his legs," Gamamaru had pointed out.

Meanwhile, Kurama took to heart the sage and his kindness, remembering again why Hagoromo had given so much respect to this toad. Despite the figurative chains that bound him to Naruto, they had a tentatively friendly relationship that Kurama was fast appreciating.

He liked the boy, plain and simple. He was fun to tease and easy to rile up at the slightest provocation. Kurama regretted the past relationships he'd had with his previous jinchuurikis, the antagonism and the resentment he'd felt from the other Uzumakis. But then, he'd hardly been able to control his rage at being enslaved, at being bound to these weak human beings with their frailties and their contradictions.

Kurama had to admit that he himself hadn't known what it would be like to have a relationship—a working one, anyway—with a human being. But Naruto called to him a certain kind of appreciation for the irony of it all. They were both bound by fate. Kurama with his duty to his former master and the boy to the destiny of being the son of a Hokage.

Kurama was looking forward to how this would all come together.

* * *

As Naruto grew older, managing Kurama and his classes at the Academy became the sole focus of his world. At school and when they had free time, he spent it practicing jutsus with Sasuke. Most nights, because they shared the same classes, Sasuke and Naruto would study and do homework together.

This night, though, they had to prepare extra carefully. Tomorrow was the final exam for their history class. They were going to be graded much more heavily by Iruka-sensei.

"First Hokage was Hashirama Senju, then Madara Uchiha, then the third Hokage was Hiruzen Sarutobi," Sasuke muttered, trying to remember the facts.

Naruto grinned. "Then fourth is Minato Namikaze and fifth is Tsunade Senju!"

"Rub it in, why don't you?" Sasuke smirked. "Just because you're the son of the Fourth!"

Naruto laughed. "But nobody knows except for you guys, so it doesn't matter, right?"

Sasuke smiled, but he glanced guiltily at him. "But what matters most is that we're family."

Naruto nodded, feeling again the awkwardness. Ever since Sasuke had found out about Kurama, things had gotten weird with his brothers.

Sasuke had activated his sharingan three weeks after starting at the Academy, but not in a way that was satisfying. A couple of older boys had caught them walking home together and decided to make trouble.

That day, none of the adults were available because they'd been out on missions. Sasuke and Naruto had decided to just go home without waiting for Itachi, who had promised to come pick them up after he was done reporting with Tsunade.

"Come on, we're not babies anymore! Don't be such a scaredy-cat!" Sasuke had prodded Naruto. "We're just walking home. Nothing's going to happen."

Naruto had been reluctant. "But Sasuke, Itachi said we should wait."

"God! You're such a baby!" Sasuke had said and left him alone at the gates.

Sasuke, determined to prove his independence, had completely forgotten why Naruto was being targeted.

Naruto hadn't wanted to disobey but he couldn't let Sasuke walk alone by himself, so he'd run up to catch him.

The older boys had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"You!" one of them said as he threw a huge rock at Naruto. "You're that orphan that the Uchihas adopted. You're the one without the parents."

Naruto rubbed at the spot on his arm where the rock had hit him. He looked silently at the boys, not knowing what to say. He _had_ parents, why couldn't they understand that?

" _Uzumaki!_ " the boy then said with distaste. "You're part of that wandering clan that have no homes because they're so freaking poor. You're just a dirty little beggar boy!"

Before Naruto and Kurama could react, Sasuke had come up behind the bully and struck him on the head. Sasuke's eyes were red, sharingan flaring.

"He's not!" he shouted. He glared at them. "He's my brother!"

Then he ran into the older group and started pummeling them with all his might, his eyes able to clearly see what they were planning to hit him with. His training at home came in handy as he punched and kicked.

Sasuke was enraged, uncaring that the bullies were crying now, bleeding, snot dripping down their noses, sweat mixed with dirt on their filthy clothing. He didn't stop, _couldn't_ stop, despite feeling Naruto gripping his arm, trying to pull Sasuke away from his attackers.

It was Itachi who finally put a stop to the fight. He yanked Sasuke off the leader and shoved him so he fell on his butt.

Then as gently as he could, Itachi picked up the other boys and dusted them off. His own sharingan flashing, he said softly, "Go home and remember not to bother Naruto again because now that Sasuke has his sharingan, I won't always be here to save _you_ guys."

They left in a hurry. Itachi watched them go then turned to his brothers.

He sighed. "I told you to wait at school!" He looked at their blood-spattered clothes and dirty hands. "You guys are a mess! Mother's going to give _me_ a scold for this."

Sasuke looked mutinous, his eyes still red. "They started it! I wasn't going to let them pick on Naruto."

Naruto had his hands clenched by his sides. "It was my fault! I should've asked for Kurama's help then this wouldn't have happened."

Itachi was horrified. "That's even worse!"

When they got home, they all waited for Fugaku to impart his judgment.

Mikoto sat next to him. Fugaku folded his arms. "I'm happy you unlocked your sharingan, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked relieved. It was dashed, however, by his father's next words. "But don't go around picking fights with everyone. You will apologize to those boys. And I will go with you to sort everything out."

Fugaku looked at Naruto. "The provocation must have been great, but Naruto, you can never ever use Kurama in Konoha. It's too dangerous."

Naruto wanted to cry. "I know, and I didn't! I wasn't _going to_!"

Behind him, Itachi gave him a silent, reassuring pat on the back. It gave Naruto the courage to continue saying, "I didn't want to fight them because it didn't really bother me, what the other boys were saying."

At this, Fugaku smiled fleetingly and hid his relief. At least Naruto was secure enough in the love the family had for him. "That makes me proud."

Naruto blinked in surprise. He glanced at Sasuke, who looked just as shocked.

Nobody said anything else as Fugaku looked at all three of his sons and then shared a glance with Mikoto. She nodded.

"I guess this is a good time to tell you all, now that Sasuke has his sharingan."

Fugaku looked at Naruto when he said, "I'm really glad you're friends with Kurama, Naruto, because it frees me of the responsibility. And I'm going to admit that I am beyond relieved that I won't have to use my sharingan."

Naruto was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Our sharingan eyes were meant to control the Kyuubi inside of you, Naruto," Fugaku said.

Sasuke jerked up in surprise. "Control that big powerful beast? Really?!"

His father nodded. "Yes, an Uchiha with a powerful enough sharingan can learn to control and manipulate the power of Kurama."

Inside Naruto, Kurama grumbled incoherently. He sounded irritated, so Naruto placed a hand over his tummy.

Fugaku noticed. "Tell Kurama that I'm glad I never got to use it. I _never_ wanted to use it, especially since he was inside of you."

This time, the grumbling inside Naruto came back with happier energy. Naruto smiled at Fugaku. "I think he heard you."

Fugaku laughed, but he turned back to the boys. "I think, with this, not many people will bother you, Naruto. But I'm glad that all three of you have each other's back. While the sharingan was originally meant to control the Kyuubi, it now means that we protect each other."

Sasuke and Naruto had looked at each other and nodded.

Itachi clunked them painfully over the head from behind. "Right, and when I tell you to wait for me at the school, you freaking wait!"

Chastised, the two boys looked at him over their shoulders.

"Yes, Itachi," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, Nii-san!" Sasuke apologized.

"God!" Itachi muttered. "Why do I get the feeling that I am forever going to be cleaning up after you two!"

* * *

"Naruto! Are you paying attention? I asked you a question!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto came back from his memories. Right, they were still studying. "Sorry, what was the question?"

Sasuke sighed. "Come on, Naruto! You're the one who wanted to study for this test together."

"Sorry!"

Sasuke continued with the quizzing. "Which Hokage signed the Alliance Treaty with Kumo?"

Naruto blanked. "Was it the first Hokage or the second?"

"Naruto! It was Madara Uchiha," Sasuke chided. "I can't believe you forgot that fact. Remember? The second Hokage was the first one to ever set foot in Kumo!"

"Oh, right!"

The two continued studying into the night until Mikoto peeked into the room and told them to go to bed.

* * *

But the next day, Naruto found himself floundering as he looked at the questions on the sheet of paper lying on top of his desk.

"I got this," he murmured to himself, trying to stay confident.

There was a low rumble. "Naruto, I can help you, you know."

Naruto closed his eyes and responded to Kurama. _How?!_

Kurama laughed. "I know all the answers to this test."

 _No way!_ Naruto was about to ask more, but the outside world intruded.

"Naruto! Are you _sleeping_ in the middle of my exam?! _"_ Iruka's angry voice jolted him out of his conversation with the Fox Spirit.

His eyes flew open and found himself the focus of furious brown eyes.

"Iruka-sensei! No, I'm not! My eyes were closed because I was just thinking about my answers."

Mollified, Iruka humphed then went back to pacing around the classroom as the students continued their written test on the history of Konoha.

Naruto slunk into his chair and patted his stomach. He hadn't been lying. He'd really been thinking, but the beast within him had distracted him and ruined his concentration.

But how the hell do you explain that to Iruka-sensei? It was supposed to be a secret.

There was another rumble. Naruto looked up and found Iruka with his back turned. He closed his eyes again and joined Kurama in his plane, where he glared at the beast.

"Kurama! You're getting me in trouble again."

"I'm just saying, I'm here, bored out of my mind," Kurama said, a feral smile on his lips. "What do you say? I could help you ace this test and you can help me not be bored."

"No! I'm doing this on my own _,_ " Naruto protested. "It's bad enough I have to rely on you so much when I'm training."

Kurama snorted. "That's only at the toads' place. But you never let me have fun when we're back in Konoha."

"Nobody's supposed to know you're inside me, duh!"

"Don't _duh_ , me, brat!" Kurama roared.

Naruto got down on his knees and bowed, pretending to be contrite. He squinted up at Kurama and answered with his own snark. "Sorry, Lord Kurama, your holiness, god of power and might, Fox-spirit of the mighty beasts, possessor of Nine Tails. I bow to your most supreme being."

"Much better," Kurama growled with approval.

"Argh! I'm leaving!"

Naruto came back to his desk and stared at the sheet of paper, trying to find the question he'd last read. He placed a hand on his stomach again.

_Now shut up, Kurama. I only have ten more minutes to finish this test._

But Kurama continued with the taunting. "So you want my help answering these questions or not? You know, I was alive during all of this. The first Hokage, the founding of the elemental villages, those wars. All those events you've only heard about? I've seen them through my own eyes…. _I_ would know more than what Iruka taught you guys from your history books."

 _No! That's cheating!_ Naruto said. But he was sorely tempted.

"Nobody will know…." Kurama whispered tantalizingly.

_Shut up!_

There was another rumble filled with amusement.

"Fine, but just so you know, you got a couple of answers wrong," Kurama said as his parting shot, knowing exactly Naruto's weakness for not getting the full points on a test.

_Argh!_


	5. The Hokage's Son

**Chapter 5: The Hokage's Son**

At twelve, after graduating from the Ninja Academy, Naruto became a full-fledged genin with Sasuke. Their paths, however, differed when they were placed into separate teams. Naruto became part of the three-man cell captained by Asuma Sarutobi. His other teammates were Shikamaru Nara and Sakura Haruno.

He watched with jealousy as Kakashi became captain to Sasuke's team with Kiba Inuzuka and Ino Yamanaka. Itachi had adored Kakashi, and hearing all those stories about the copy ninja made Naruto want to be on the same team as Sasuke. Plus, he also knew of the connection Kakashi had with his parents, his relationship with Minato and Kushina.

But Asuma Sarutobi had looked at him with understanding and had done his best to prepare the boy mentally for the future. Even though Asuma knew it was a well-kept secret, he couldn't help but feel for the boy who was also the son of a Hokage.

Asuma smiled to himself as he pondered the choices that the current Hokage had made in forming the teams. Tsunade had a wicked sense of humor. Either that, or she knew exactly what she was doing.

Most likely, it was the latter.

On first meeting him, Naruto took to Asuma and found kindness in the big, burly man with the ever-burning cigarette on his lips. His easy manner made him somebody he could be comfortable with. Asuma reminded him so much of Jiraiya—the way the two were so cheerful and so carefree. He was just so different from the serious Uchihas and the sometimes lackadaisical Kakashi who always had his face plastered to his novels.

The fact that Asuma was also the son of the Third Hokage made Naruto admire him more. Naruto recognized a kindred spirit, so he pestered his captain every chance he got to tell him stories about the shinobi known as The Professor.

Asuma had been willing to talk about his father, despite not really wanting to do it in the beginning. Naruto had not heard many stories about Hiruzen Sarutobi, even though his godfather had been an apprentice of the third Hokage.

Jiraiya, still filled with guilt for not being able to find Hiruzen's body and for failing in his mission to destroy Orochimaru, couldn't talk so freely about him. He was glad that Asuma could.

"Oh, he loved smoking that pipe of his," Asuma laughingly said as he sat with the team. They were sitting around a campfire on one of their first missions as a genin.

"When I was ten, I tried to steal it once to try to smoke it. I thought that he was so old he wouldn't be able to keep up with me because I was younger and smarter. But he quickly caught me and imprisoned me in one of his mud release walls he'd built. He left me out in the rain for a whole day with no food and water. Hahaha!"

Naruto smiled weakly at the joke then shared a look with his teammates, each one hoping Asuma wouldn't do that to them one day.

Naruto loved working with Shikamaru and Sakura. He was really glad that they were both easy to get along with, especially since he was going to be stuck with them for a long time.

For the next two years, shinobi rules indicated that after graduating from the Academy, they would be required to work in a set team. However, they were to be disbanded once the initial probationary period ended. Their captain could then recommend them to promotion for chuunin rank after completion of a practical and written test.

He became close with Shikamaru, who taught him the game of shogi, and Naruto clearly saw how clever his teammate was at strategizing. Shikamaru could look at the board and clearly come up with ways to capture the important pieces to win and also be able to protect what needed to be defended. While he knew the mechanics of the game, Naruto found it hard to protect when he was focusing on winning, or vice versa. Doing both at the same time was more complicated than he'd thought.

Being teammates with Shikamaru also meant that he would often be invited to the Nara home and come into contact with Shikamaru's father, Shikaku.

Because of his connection with Tsunade, Naruto had heard about, but not really met Shikaku in person. The older shinobi was tough and brusque, a silent brooding man whose eyes never missed much.

In the beginning, he'd been cool to Naruto. But after months of friendship and teamwork with Shikamaru, Shikaku softened enough to smile at him sometimes. Eventually, he warmed up to Naruto when he'd caught him talking to Kurama one day.

He'd been at the Nara home, on his way to use their bathroom, but Kurama had interrupted him. Naruto proceeded to have an argument with the beast, who was complaining about being bored again. He had his eyes closed and his hand was resting on his tummy. He couldn't see it, but the expression on his face had gone from frowning indignance to amused teasing in the space of five minutes.

Shikaku had seen it and was astute enough to recognize the close relationship the beast and the boy had. It convinced him that the Kyuubi's power could be safely entrusted to this child.

Kurama must have sensed Shikaku's presence and warned Naruto because the boy had suddenly opened his eyes, dropped his hands to his side, and grinned guiltily at him.

Shikaku said nothing. He only nodded at Naruto then walked away.

Meanwhile, Naruto thought Sakura was really cute. She was smart and can remember many facts and figures about the jutsus they'd learned from school. She was sassy, too, and they'd developed an easy, teasing type of banter every time they were together.

But Naruto also admired her for being a strong shinobi. Tsunade had tapped Sakura to join the intensive medical courses she personally taught. Sakura had joined along with the other girls of their class. And during that time, Tsunade gave Sakura special lessons to build up her strength.

Naruto had felt the power of her punch as she landed a blow to his arm when they'd been at their sparring practice one day. She'd nearly broken it, so he rubbed at it gingerly when Asuma finally blew the whistle that put a stop to their match.

He'd gone to find his backpack to grab a towel. He hadn't known she'd followed him until he'd heard her gasp when she saw the cover of Jiraiya's latest novel sticking out of the pocket of his bag.

"I told you not to read those books, Naruto!" she'd yelled.

"Sakura, it's not what you think!" he protested. "Jiraiya asked me to hold on to it the last time he took me training. I just forgot to give it back to him. I would never read it!"

Asuma's eyes lit with interest. "Oh, just give it to me then." He reached for it.

All three of his genin team's eyes darkened with disappointment. Shikamaru's were particularly scornful, but he held his tongue.

"Asuma-sensei! Really?!" Sakura was very vocal and let him know her opinion. "And here I thought you were better than Kakashi-sensei!"

"No! I'm not giving it to you!" Naruto shrieked as he shoved the book further down into his bag. "Please don't make me lose my respect for you!"

Asuma had the grace to blush and dropped his hands.

* * *

Even though Naruto became busy with his genin missions, Jiraiya always intruded and hounded him whenever he was back in Konoha.

"You need more time practicing with Kurama!" was the sage's reason.

Figuring out how to effectively use beast mode was still difficult. Ever since he became genin, he had less time to train with Kurama since he was only allowed to use that power at Mount Myouboku. Naruto was slowly getting better at controlling Kurama's chakra, but he was still unwieldy when using it for more precise maneuvers.

Although the work was tough, Naruto still looked forward to the trips to Mount Myouboku. They were always fun, especially when Jiraiya kept insisting on increasing his arsenal.

"You've got your crazy Uzumaki chakra to help you, too," Jiraiya said one day.

He grinned at Fukasaku. "Do you think you can send me directly to a secret little chamber hidden in those forgotten rooms at the Hokage Tower? I need a scroll that I think Naruto would find useful."

Fukasaku pursed his lips. "I don't know anything about this," he said, but he gave a tiny nod.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "Wait for me here, kid."

There was a bang and Jiraiya disappeared. He came back an hour later with a giant scroll strapped to his back. As he unslung it from his shoulder, Naruto caught the name _Tobirama Senju_ written on the side of it.

"What's that?"

Jiraiya beamed at him. "Oh, this? This is something that will help you learn even faster."

So Naruto learned to create not just regular shadow clones, but multiples of them.

"I can't count them anymore, Jiraiya!" Naruto complained a couple of days later. "There's thousands of them, my eyes are hurting! I'm getting cross-eyed because I can't remember which one is which."

"Come on, Naruto! I told you to pop them as you count each clone!"

Naruto glared back at the sage. "Do you know how weird it feels throwing shurikens and kunais at myself?!"

After training with Jiraiya for a couple more weeks, the sage returned the scroll back to the place where it belonged. He came back a little while later, but he looked like he was at the brink of death. His forehead protector was bent, his shirt was barely hanging on, the plates on his armor were falling off, and he was barefoot.

"Jiraiya!" everyone exclaimed.

Jiraiya had a bruise over his left eye; it was already turning purple. He was clutching his shoulder.

"Ah, Naruto!" he called. "Come here a second and help me with my arm, won't you?"

Naruto, remembering his earlier lesson with the summoning jutsu and being thrown off the cliff, grinned with pleasure. He ignored his godfather's scream of pain as he jerked his arm backward as hard as he could.

They heard a loud pop when Jiraiya's shoulder went back into its socket.

"What happened to you, Jiraiya?" Naruto asked.

"Hm?" Jiraiya said, and a dreamy expression on his face replaced the grimace of pain.

"You look like an army beat you up!"

He grinned. "I do? Don't worry about it." Then he sighed dreamily. "Our lovely Hokage. She hasn't lost her touch."

" _She_ beat you up? All by herself?" Naruto smiled, completely impressed.

"Apparently, I was supposed to ask Tsunade's permission first before borrowing the scroll and teaching you a forbidden, illegal jutsu."

"Wait, it's illegal?!" Naruto howled with disbelief.

His godfather casually waved a hand in the air.

"Illegal, shmeegal, it doesn't really matter, because you can do it," Jiraiya said with a pleased smirk. "You can't _unlearn_ it now!"

* * *

When Asuma had discovered another similarity between him and Naruto, he approached Jiraiya with a question. Naruto just happened to have the same wind affinity as his captain. Would it be possible for the boy to develop another kind of jutsu? Something that utilizes wind techniques, something like a whirling mass of chakra invented by a genius? Asuma had asked. His eyes were innocent, but the lips clamped down on a lit cigarette were smiling with irony.

Asuma faked a sigh. Unfortunately, _he_ wasn't able to produce one of these powerful spinning spheres. If only there was somebody who did, though. Somebody who could teach this weapon to Naruto.

Jiraiya had laughed at Asuma, the son of his former teacher, and tapped him good-naturedly on the arm.

Thus, Naruto's second arsenal became the Rasengan, and this time, Jiraiya made sure to ask Tsunade for permission first before teaching Naruto the Fourth Hokage's special technique. It was considered an S-rank jutsu but he'd convinced her that Naruto could handle it. Once he got her approval, they were back again at Mount Myouboku for training.

Naruto did the best he could to learn this new jutsu from Jiraiya, especially since this was his biological father's own technique. However, he was honest enough to admit that it was hard to deal with everything as he struggled to balance his new status as a genin shinobi.

He was away from his family most times, away from their loving, comforting presence while learning to work with a team, taking orders from his captain, completing missions that pushed him to his limits.

The timing couldn't have been worse. Working while a hormonal teenager, when his emotions were difficult to control, was the worst time for him to realize the realities of what being a shinobi was about.

It was hard.

And grueling, if he were honest. The training he'd undergone was tough, but what he disliked the most was battling the elements, the cold snow in the winter, the oppressive heat of the summer.

Mostly, though, he didn't like injuring people and found it incredibly hard to understand why people broke the rules or hurt others.

But Asuma had sensed the doubt simmering underneath and offered encouragement whenever he could. "Look, in the end, we're helping people."

It kept him going, but for the first time in his life, Naruto started questioning the direction his life was heading. It seemed to him that he'd woken up one day, under the cover of miserable darkness during this particular mission and realized that up to this point, since joining the Academy, his life had been a blur.

How the hell did he end up being a ninja? Naruto suddenly wondered. He'd never fully and consciously chosen to head down this path. He'd only seen Itachi and Sasuke go down this route, and that momentum had carried him along with it. Fugaku. Mikoto. Minato. Kushina. Jiraiya. His family had been shinobi and that had been the only choice available to a boy like him.

Momentum.

Naruto looked up, saw the moon covered by the clouds and sighed as he wiped the trickling rain off his eyes.

Momentum was an unstoppable force.

Tonight, he was crouched and hidden underneath some low shrubs, waiting for Asuma's order to move on these bandits they'd been tailing the last few days. But the downpour was making everything wretched. He was cold, tired, and hungry. Beside him, Shikamaru and Sakura were also shivering underneath their soaked gear.

Why was Asuma-sensei taking forever to tell them to move?!

Naruto wanted to be quickly done with this mission and be home in his bed, where he could just sleep and be comfortable, and not have to worry about disappointing anybody. He could be warm, safe, and not have to think about his teammates' safety, about making sure the mission was complete.

"Go!" came Asuma's voice in his ear as the headpiece suddenly crackled with their order.

Shikamaru, Sakura, and Naruto moved. A barrage of orange-clad shadow clones surrounded the thirty-man camp. Underneath the clones' feet, Shikamaru's shadow binding slowly expanded on the ground and gripped the fleeing men from their tents. It made further escape impossible.

Sakura was delivering a kick at a couple of bandits who'd managed to avoid getting caught in Shikamaru's technique. Naruto, meanwhile, fought alongside her. He kept his eyes open for any of the bandits that they'd had missed. All the while, he kept replacing the shadow clones that were being popped.

When they finally rounded up all the men, Asuma sauntered in with a smile.

"Good job, guys!"

The three were panting. They glared at him.

Shikamaru looked murderous. "You could've jumped in at any time, Sensei!"

Asuma only laughed and went to check the bindings around the men's hands. He reached into his back pocket and brought out a scroll. He scribbled something quickly then appeared to be ticking off some things in successive order. That done, he held up his fingers into a seal and the scroll disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He turned to the three with another smile. "If I'd jumped in, that would have ruined the test." He lit a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke from his mouth. "Congratulations! You guys just passed the practical part of your chuunin exams. Now all you need to do is ace the written part next week."

* * *

Naruto was glad he'd made it to chuunin. It felt like he'd cleared a great hurdle.

But there was more to come.

Unfortunately, the reappearance of the Rasengan stirred the memories of the Konoha villagers, specifically memories of the original creator of the jutsu, Minato Namikaze. People began to look more closely and more suspiciously at the boy wielding it as his go-to weapon during his missions.

His now taller frame, his spiky blond hair and blue eyes made it impossible to deny the fact that he was Minato and Kushina's son.

When nobody denied the accusations, the villagers came to resent being lied to by the officials at the top, particularly those who'd been involved during the night of the Kyuubi's attack. It was clear that Hiruzen, the Uchihas, even Tsunade and Jiraiya had willfully lied to and duped the villagers.

It finally came to a head when he was fifteen, when Naruto was eventually forced to confront it directly. In the beginning, he'd been much better at letting the whispers behind his back roll off him, but as the comparisons between him and his biological father strengthened, he slowly began to resent it.

The low murmurings behind his back had grown louder and were now being pretty much declared openly—and directly—to his face.

His response had always been, "So?"

Nothing changed the fact that Naruto still lived in Konoha, that he'd been raised an Uchiha despite his Uzumaki last name, that he was always found laughing with his brothers, that Fugaku and Mikoto loved him like a son, that Jiraiya remained his steadfast godfather and teacher.

Gradually, though, the villagers' censure and resentment turned into admiration. Tsunade and her supporters, and those loyal to Hiruzen, had made it known that the lie about Naruto dying with Kushina all those years ago had been necessary to protect Minato's son. Keeping Naruto's identity a secret was a way to thwart whoever had targeted Kushina all those years ago.

After much grumbling came acceptance. Yes, it made sense. It had been better to keep Naruto's status as the Hokage's son a secret. It had kept him safe, and his youth as an adopted son of the Uchihas made his childhood relatively peaceful.

Still, the information about him being a jinchuuriki was kept from the public. Tsunade and everyone involved thought _that_ part of the lie was still something the village didn't need to know about. Even though people were suspicious, almost everyone didn't voice objections to the lie that the Kyuubi had died with Kushina.

After all, Orochimaru was still out there. The fear of him and another attack kept people silent from voicing their concerns. Whatever happened, they hoped that Tsunade and all those involved knew what they were doing.

And while the village rejoiced in this newfound secret, of discovering that the Fourth Hokage had left a surviving son, Naruto found the pressure of it difficult to bear.

* * *

Naruto frowned at Fugaku across the dinner table. Tonight, Itachi and Sasuke were still out on their missions. Dinner was just between him and his parents. Somehow, the subject of Minato had come up.

"Am I supposed to become Hokage?" Naruto asked with a smile, thinking—and really hoping—it was all a joke. "I mean, what if I don't want to be Hokage?"

But Fugaku was dead serious. He stiffened in his chair and his gaze on Naruto was a bit chilled. "I meant it sincerely. I would never joke about this. Lots of people have that expectation for you."

Naruto forced a laugh. "Being Hokage doesn't seem like it's all it's cracked up to be. Tsunade-sama always looks tired and stressed. She's always so busy running around trying to help everyone. And the two Hokages before her lost their lives. No thanks!"

Fugaku hid his disappointment, but he wasn't going to stop pushing. It wasn't his way. His tone, however, came out a little colder than he intended. "Please don't treat the deaths of the previous two Hokages as a joke. That is very insensitive, especially coming from you."

"I'm sorry, Fugaku," Naruto apologized, realizing his mistake. He sat in guilty silence as he ate and kept his eyes on his plate.

When the quiet became unbearable, Fugaku spoke again. "Naruto, I'm just asking you to look at your life as a whole, to think about your future and the path you want to walk?"

Naruto gave up the pretense of humor when he realized Fugaku wasn't going to let up. He sat in resentful stillness as the older man continued speaking.

"Look at Itachi," Fukagu was saying. "From a young age, he knew he wanted to become ANBU and he's done that. He's thriving serving the Hokage. Sasuke says he wants to do the same thing but he might consider joining the police force. I'm glad, of course."

"But you don't know what to do with me because I haven't decided what I want to be yet?" Naruto asked with a deep frown. The tension in him made him speak sharply.

Fugaku sighed. "Yes, I'll be honest. You've got Kurama inside you who's lending you his power. You could do so much with it, but I don't think you're thinking about any of that, are you?"

Naruto spoke in clipped bursts. "Yeah, Fugaku. I'm sorry that I don't know, either. But I _do_ want to become a good shinobi."

Fugaku nodded, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear. Being a good shinobi was already a given. There were loftier goals than that. "If not Hokage, why not advisor to Hokage? Like Shikamaru's father. You like him, don't you? Maybe politics can be your thing?"

For a second, Naruto wanted to scream back at his father, but he saw the hope in his eyes and he didn't want to dash it. He clamped his mouth shut and took a moment to calm himself.

"Yeah," Naruto finally said without enthusiasm. "I'll think about it."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Mikoto told them to continue the conversation as she got up to answer. She came back a few minutes later bearing a scroll.

She handed it to Naruto. "This came for you. It's from Jiraiya."

"Really?" Naruto said with excitement. Anything from Jiraiya was usually really exciting. He quickly shoveled all the food into his mouth as he read through it. When he finished his plate, he gave a happy yelp.

"What is it?" Fugaku asked.

"I'm being summoned to Mount Myouboku again! Jiraiya's going to teach me sage mode," he said.

Mikoto and Fugaku looked at each other. Mikoto looked sad. "So you'll be leaving us again?"

"Oh, don't look like that Mikoto! I'm only going to be gone a few months," he said.

Mikoto didn't say anything, but she felt that he was getting pulled away from her home more and more.

He was blind to her feelings, excited to see Jiraiya again. "Have you guys heard anything about this sage mode thing?"

"It's another form of chakra control using a different type of energy," Fugaku said. "Not many people can do it. I think only Jiraiya and Minato were the only two people from the village who managed to learn it."

Naruto stiffened slightly at the mention of his father. "Interesting," he said.

"See, Naruto," Fugaku continued, trying to encourage him. "You're being blessed by people who care for your well-being, who are equipping you with weapons and skills so you can become well-rou—"

"Fugaku!" Naruto interrupted. "I know you mean well, but I just feel like you're calling me lazy and useless."

The older man shook his head. "I'm not, Naruto, but I'd like you to be more serious about your future. You can do so much if you take on more responsibilities, of doing more for the village."

Naruto frowned. It sounded too much like he was being scolded for being a naughty child, for being a slacker.

"Got it," Naruto said as he stood abruptly. "Anyway, I have to go pack. Jiraiya will be here tomorrow and I want to be ready to leave as soon as I can."

"Good night!" he said and left quickly, not giving them a chance to say anything to change his mind or continue the conversation.

They didn't try to stop him. Mikoto and Fugaku remained quiet as they watched him leave. Mikoto reached out and laid a hand on her husband's arm. "He's only fifteen. He's still very young."

"He's Sasuke's age, Mikoto! He should know what he wants to become by now. Sasuke's got all these grand plans, but Naruto just seems happy to amount to nothing. He's being blown about by the wind, not really committing to anything. He's got all this talent but he's just wasting it."

"Fugaku!" Mikoto said with frustration. "Naruto's a vessel for the Fox Spirit and had to learn how to properly use Kurama's power. And now he's going off to train with Jiraiya, attempting to learn something that only _two_ people in our village managed to learn. Don't tell me that's nothing!"

Fugaku still remained unconvinced.

Mikoto sighed. "Fugaku, you have to remember that he's different from the boys. He might have grown up with them, but I'm sure he feels it in his heart, that he's not an Uchiha so he doesn't feel the same connection to the clan as Sasuke and Itachi do because they have the Uchiha name. Meanwhile, Naruto's known from the beginning that he's an Uzumaki. He's still trying to find his place in this world. And that's _hard_."

Her husband stayed mute.

So she continued, "Then there's also the fact that he's _not_ Minato. Naruto is his own person, but you want to turn him into someone like his father."

Fugaku finally let out a breath of frustration. "I know, Mikoto," her husband said. He lifted his head and looked at the ceiling, listening to Naruto's footfalls upstairs. Then he looked his wife in her eyes.

"I just feel like Kushina and Minato would be disappointed in how we've raised him. Both Minato and Kushina wanted to become Hokage, but how come he doesn't?"

Mikoto shook her head. "He's a sensitive boy. I think part of it is that he doesn't want to be compared to his father, too. He's already being compared to Itachi and Sasuke all the time. But to be compared to a legend is something that would shake anybody."

She smiled at him. "Fugaku, you have to trust Naruto. He'll figure it out eventually."

"What I'm worried about is that he will, but it might come at such a great cost," he said.

"There is that. But hopefully, it won't."

Fugaku took his wife's lovely fingers in his hands and kissed them. "What would I ever be without you in my life to help me see the truth, Mikoto?"

Mikoto reached out and hugged him. "You'll still be a man we would all admire, Fugaku."

* * *

Naruto knocked on Sasuke's door, not really expecting any response, thinking he wasn't back yet. But he was happy when he heard his brother call out softly, "Naruto, come in."

Naruto walked in. "Sasuke, did you just get back from your mission?"

Sasuke was unbuttoning the flak jacket of his jonin uniform. He nodded at Naruto. Then he looked at him for a long moment. "I overheard your conversation with Father."

Naruto sighed. He walked a few paces and sat on Sasuke's bed. "I didn't want to be so short with him, but I'm feeling the pressure. You and Itachi have your lives figured out, but I just don't know what to do with mine. I feel like I'm just the biggest disappointment in the world."

Sasuke was blunt. "Naruto, he's got a point, you know. With all these people taking an interest in you, all you've done at this point is tag along after Jiraiya."

And you're still _only_ a chuunin was the unspoken accusation.

It hurt. _He_ was happy, but everyone else seemed to think it wasn't enough. Resentment rose up in him.

"Why is everybody fucking nagging me today?!" Naruto bit out in frustration.

Sasuke frowned and was about to say something but there was another knock on the door.

"You guys decent?" came Itachi's deep voice from outside. "I don't want to be walking in on something that I don't want to see."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Itachi, come in."

Itachi walked in and stood next to Sasuke.

And it hit him suddenly, making Naruto want to close his eyes to deny the truth, the undeniable proof that he didn't completely belong with this family.

But Naruto forced himself to sit on the bed and gaze at the two of them standing side by side and felt again how much he stood out. He with his blond hair, blue eyes, and his biological mother's round Uzumaki face in a sea of dark-haired Uchihas with their sharp features and even sharper eyes.

He knew he was different from Sasuke and Itachi, and it wasn't exactly genetics that separated him from his adopted brothers. Sasuke and Itachi seemed so certain of their destinies, of the future that lay before them. He, meanwhile, felt bereft and unsure of what to do.

As Fugaku had said, so many people had taken an interest in him, and everyone expected so much, but what exactly was he supposed to do? Become Hokage? He'd never thought about it seriously before. He didn't like the idea of being responsible for the lives of Konoha's citizens. It seemed like such a big burden.

It just felt so _heavy_. Just the thought of it alone was crushing, leaving him breathless with the magnitude of such responsibility.

All he'd ever wanted to do was to become a good shinobi and be recognized for the work he'd done.

Meanwhile, Itachi was on a different level, and Naruto admired him for the missions he did for the Hokage. Sasuke, just like him, worshipped Itachi and was likely to head in the same path. He'd even learned Chidori from Kakashi, who'd taken an interest in him and was showing him the ropes of being in ANBU when Sasuke had expressed his desire to join that corps.

It was hard to not feel it, especially since Sasuke and Itachi were almost exactly alike in looks and personality.

But the drive was there, the drive to become the best.

That somehow escaped Naruto and didn't seem to have inside him. He was content to coast, to be free from expectations.

He hated this, this feeling of being out of control of his future. He couldn't wait to be outside of Konoha, to be out with Jiraiya again and to go see the world beyond his village.

"Mother says I have to talk to you," Itachi said, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, my god!" Naruto muttered angrily under his breath, frustration building up, ready to burst, but he held his tongue and braced himself for Itachi's lecture.

"But you know what, I really don't want to, so I'm not going to do it."

That startled Naruto. "Huh?"

"What's there to talk about?" There was a ghost of a smile on Itachi's lips. "You won't listen because you're angry."

"But—"

"I just wanted to see you before you left for your trip with Jiraiya. If you're going to learn sage mode, you'll be gone for months, I think. Jiraiya said it took him forever to learn it, but he still hasn't perfected it."

Naruto melted with relief. One of the things he loved about Itachi was his ability to read people so well.

But Sasuke was a different type of person.

"Nii-san! If you're not going to say anything about it, then _I_ will," Sasuke interrupted. His voice hardened. "Father's got a point. Why isn't Naruto pushing himself further to get better? He's got Kurama and all that power but it's not being used efficiently. If we keep babying him, he's not going to figure out what the hell he's meant to do."

Naruto had enough. He stood up abruptly and confronted Sasuke. "There! See?! ' _Meant_ to do.' Why can't I just be myself and just be allowed to be a normal person?!"

"Why would anybody want to be just _normal_?" Sasuke scoffed. "Plus, you _can't_. Not with the conditions you were born into. You're going to have to accept it and fully own it. It will make your life so much easier."

Naruto scowled at him. "Stop being such a patronizing ass. You're only older by a couple of months, but you act like you know it all. You just….!" He stopped suddenly and raked his hands savagely through his hair. "You know what, I'm tired of this conversation! I don't want to talk about it with you. You wouldn't understand, anyway!"

Sasuke was about to argue more but Itachi stepped in. "Okay, Sasuke, maybe now's not the time to discuss this with Naruto. We'll talk about it when he gets back from this trip."

"Immature baby," Sasuke mumbled under his breath.

Naruto heard it and tried to shove Sasuke on the chest, but Sasuke was faster and grabbed his arm, pinning it to Naruto's back, leaving him struggling against his grip. Naruto tried to hit Sasuke with the back of his head, but he suddenly released his grip on his arm and pushed Naruto away from his body.

Naruto stumbled forward but kicked at Sasuke's legs, which made him groan in surprise when he got the hit in.

"Stop," came Itachi's soft hiss.

Naruto and Sasuke immediately did, recognizing that Itachi was annoyed. But they glared at each other furiously, Naruto from his position on the floor and Sasuke looking down at him.

"Now kiss and make up, boys," Itachi said.

The two sputtered with surprise. "That's not even funny. God, you are just so freaking _weird_ , Itachi!" Sasuke cried out.

Naruto stood up and made a revolted face. "Ugh!"

Itachi laughed at their disgruntled faces. "Well, technically, Naruto, being born the youngest _does_ make you the baby of the family."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, yeah! Keep rubbing it in, why don't you? You guys never let me forget that fact."

He nodded curtly at Sasuke, who answered with his own reluctant one. It was an apology for both of them.

Naruto then headed for the door. "Alright, I'm going to pack for my trip. I'll see you guys when I get back."

"Give me a hug first before you go, jerk," Itachi said with a smile.

He did, pulling his older brother into a tight embrace, grateful to him for being so understanding. "Thanks, Itachi," he mumbled low.

"Hmph!" Itachi responded. "Just don't forget to properly say good-bye to Mother tomorrow morning before you leave. You know how weepy she gets whenever you leave for your trips with Jiraiya."

Naruto laughed, the tension leaving him. "I won't make her cry, I promise."

"You can't promise something you have no control over."


	6. Lessons from the Sannin

**Chapter 6: Lessons from the Sannin**

Jiraiya stopped by the house early in the morning. There was a quick, whispered conversation with Fugaku that broke off when Naruto came out into the entranceway. His nod to Fugaku was a little bit cool but he hugged him anyway.

He turned to his mother. She was already wearing her mission gear, ready to head out on her own, but she'd wanted to say good-bye first.

Mikoto was rubbing her eyes. She'd started off relatively well, but she'd gone through half the box of tissues by the doorway when she'd finally let Naruto out of her arms.

"Write to us when you can," she said with a sniffle.

He nodded then smiled at her. "I will, Mikoto."

She laughed softly as she looked up at him, recognizing the irony. Gone were the days when _she_ used to reassure _him_ on these trips with Jiraiya.

Jiraiya came over to pat her awkwardly on the arm. He looked at her red eyes. "He'll be fine, Mikoto. You know I always take care of him."

"I know, Jiraiya," she said as she suddenly teared up again. "I'm just being hormonal. It's menopause."

"Oh," Jiraiya said then he cleared his throat. "Okay, then. We're off."

With another awkward pat at her arm and a nod at Fugaku, Jiraiya turned and headed down the road. Naruto waved to his parents and followed a few steps later.

They continued on their way. Jiraiya glanced sideways at Naruto, unusually quiet.

"You want to talk about it?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Just as well," Jiraiya smirked. "I don't like to deal with teenage angst before I've had breakfast."

Naruto rolled his eyes but they kept walking.

Jiraiya left Naruto to his own thoughts while he mulled over his own conversation with Fugaku. He understood Fugaku's frustration. Hell, Jiraiya felt it himself. Naruto was always eager to learn new things and practice new jutsus, but he just never wanted to go further.

It made him wonder why a kid armed with so much didn't want to aim for the top. He could easily be the strongest shinobi in Konoha, but he just refused to do it.

In part, this was why he'd decided to take him to Mount Myouboku to learn sage mode. Maybe this would give Naruto the kick to finally accept this destiny that was laid out for him.

But Jiraiya admired Naruto's humility, the way the kid always wanted to be _out_ of the spotlight. He always preferred to talk about his brothers whenever he was in conversation with others, always talking about Itachi and Sasuke being prodigies.

Intuitively, Naruto had understood from a young age that being somebody who stood out meant he wouldn't be able to keep the secret of his true parentage. Plus, Naruto had once admitted to his godfather that publicly declaring who his biological parents were seemed like a betrayal to Fugaku, Mikoto, and Jiraiya—who he considered were his _true_ parents.

The sudden shift of the village's focus onto him must have been jarring. Before the secret came out that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son, he'd been a normal child with a normal childhood—or as normal as he _could_ be, under the circumstances. But when the news broke, Naruto hadn't known how to react to the sudden attention.

Jiraiya glanced once more at his godson.

Poor kid.

A three-headed parenting system was hard, and he didn't blame the boy one bit. How the hell do you deal with the complications of knowing your biological parents were dead, then you had a strict disciplinarian raise you alongside a loving, supportive adoptive mother, and a hands-off, indulgent godfather who happened to be your legal guardian?

No wonder Naruto was so confused.

Jiraiya shook his head.

Well, he didn't believe in ruminating too deeply about these things. What they both needed at this moment was breakfast, he thought, as he saw that Teuchi was putting up the white noren that usually hung over Ichiraku's doors.

"How about some ramen first?" he asked the boy.

Naruto looked up with an eager grin.

* * *

They dropped in at the Hall of the Great Toad Sage when they got to Mount Myouboku.

"I think he's ready to tackle becoming a sage," Jiraiya declared as he looked at Gamamaru and Fukasaku. "He's an Uzumaki so he should have the chakra reserves to handle absorbing natural energy."

Fukasaku looked dubiously at Naruto, but he addressed Jiraiya, "Yes, but you know how restless he is. He needs to learn to be still, and that's the most difficult thing for beasts of nature to do."

Jiraiya slanted him a look and a raised brow. "You heard him. Can you do that? Be still?"

"Not sure, but I'm willing to try!" came Naruto's immediate response.

Jiraiya grinned. "Good. But I warn you, it's going to be painful and it will take a _lot_ of work. The good thing is, you'll have me and Fukasaku to watch over your training. We can focus here and take all the time in the world for you to master it."

Fukasaku looked at Naruto speculatively. "I can sense it. His chakra is boundless, even more so than yours, Jiraiya."

"Yes, I know. He's an interesting little, egg, isn't he?" Jiraiya said with a laugh.

"I'm standing right here. Why are you guys talking about me like I'm not in front of you?!" Naruto yelled. "And who you calling an egg, you old geezer?!"

"You are the Fourth Hokage's egg, Naruto."

"Not _you_ , too, Jiraiya," Naruto said with displeasure. "I've heard it from Fugaku already. I don't want to hear it from you."

"Oh, stop it!" Jiraiya said with an unsympathetic snort. "There are worse things in the world that could happen to you! So you were born to a legend? Big, fucking deal! Are you going to be a whiny baby all your life? Because that's just pathetic."

Hearing Jiraiya curse with real anger made Naruto stifle his protest. "No, I'm not complaining."

Jiraiya was about to say more but Gamamaru stepped in before things escalated. He gave a loud, deliberate yawn. "Lads, I'm ready to sleep, so leave me to my rest."

Jiraiya threw a dark look at Naruto but he shut his mouth, too.

Gamamaru blinked lazily at Naruto. "Naruto, I wish you luck." Then he reached out to the beast within him. "Kurama, don't go too far. You'll play a role at a later date."

Naruto felt the flare of annoyance first, then there was a rumble as the beast said, "Yes, Gamamaru."

Fukasaku led them outside. He looked up in surprise and saw that the sun was directly above them. It was lunch time.

"Who's hungry? Anyone ready for Kaa-chan's food?"

Both Jiraiya and Naruto turned green.

"Uh, I'm heading this way first," Jiraiya suddenly said as he quickly backed away. "I just got an idea for my novel and I need to write it down before the thought leaves my head. I can't ignore my muse! I'll see you after lunch."

He was gone in a flash.

Naruto was left without an excuse and was roped into having lunch with Fukasaku and Shima, where he dutifully scarfed down the wiggling worms and insects he placed before him on the table.

 _It's healthy protein_ , Naruto thought unflinchingly as he swallowed the slimy things as best as he could and tried not to bite into anything.

After Fukasaku had rubbed his tummy in satisfaction, Jiraiya miraculously appeared, looking cheerful and completely sated from a lunch fit for human consumption.

They got straight to work.

Fukasaku explained that Naruto needed to use a different type of energy, to call upon the natural earth for this source of power. The sage then rubbed toad oil on his hand. Naruto felt the thrum of it flow through him briefly.

"It's not human chakra, it's direct from the elements, from the source of all life on earth," Naruto said with wonder.

Fukasaku nodded with approval. "It is. Since time immemorial, this life force has been a source of energy for all beings of earth. It can be harnessed and used for good, and it will help protect you when the time comes."

Jiraiya jumped in with a warning. "But absorb it too much and you become one with the earth," he said, pointing to the giant toad statues all around them. "These guys were too greedy and used too much of it and now have become part of the natural energy around us."

Naruto frowned, a memory flickering in the back of his mind. "You told me they were just regular statues when I first came here."

" _Now_ they are," Jiraiya said. "You didn't ask me what they were _before_ they became that way."

"Argh!" Naruto glared at his godfather. "You and your semantics!"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I write for a living."

He lifted a finger and pointed to the peak, to the spot above the mountain they were standing in front of. "Now you have to go all the way up there and concentrate like you've never had before."

* * *

But three weeks into this training, they were forced to go back home to Konoha.

Jiraiya paled when the messenger toad had stopped speaking.

Itachi had killed Orochimaru. Tsunade wanted everyone back.

They all sat around the Uchiha's dining table. Tsunade sat at the head of the table while Itachi recounted the tale to his family. He'd already given his official report to the Hokage, to Shikaku, and to the new ANBU chief, Kakashi.

But the more informal setting was for the benefit of his family and the people who had the biggest stake in Orochimaru's death. If anything, the meeting among close family made it easier for Jiraiya to digest the fact that Itachi had killed his former friend and team member.

It had been a routine patrol around the perimeters of Konoha, but Itachi had sensed a weird chakra signature in the air. Acting on instinct, he'd gone to check and had felt the back of his neck tingle. The air suddenly felt thick with malice, and more than that, greed, as if some predator was hunting prey.

Itachi had felt something moving in the shadows, and his eyes were already twirling with the mangekyo sharingan, ready to throw up a genjutsu for his initial defense.

When the figure appeared, it was a young woman with eyes that glowed yellow, but Itachi wasn't fooled. He could see the shimmer of its true form through his eyes. He recognized Orochimaru's face from the bingo book he'd memorized.

The figure laughed, pleased. "How, splendid! Itachi Uchiha."

They locked eyes and Itachi's genjutsu caused the figure to still, sucking Orochimaru into the sudden world he'd created. Mud rushed up Orochimaru's feet, sliding up slowly to engulf his full form. Orochimaru shook it off, but more mud reached up to swallow him again, this time thicker and quicker to appear.

Their battle had been fought in the mind with Itachi controlling the circumstances, putting Orochimaru at a disadvantage. But the older man had fought as hard as he could, sending out exploding shurikens and kunais out of the blob, but Itachi parried them.

In the end, because Orochimaru had been trapped inside Itachi's head, he could do nothing to defend against the genjutsu that his mangekyo sharingan had produced. Itachi had dealt the final blow in the physical world when, without removing his gaze off Orochimaru, he'd rushed forward and slashed him with his katana, beheading the creature. The body thrashed for a few minutes until it stilled.

Itachi had sent out a message to the Hokage and the ANBU captain after using the most powerful seal he could on the body.

When Itachi was done speaking, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade. "Is it really Orochimaru?"

Tsunade nodded slowly. Her expression didn't give anything away, though. "Yes, Jiraiya, I checked what was left of the body. It's got the chakra signature we have on file for him."

Nobody said a word.

"So it's done? He's really dead?" Naruto finally asked.

Tsunade pursed her lips. "I want to say yes, but somehow, it feels really strange. I still don't know what jutsu he's used to get his chakra to match this body, though, but I have Shizune and the rest of her team investigating it. Still, this doesn't sound like Orochimaru at all—not to put down your efforts, Itachi—but it seems too easy?"

Itachi shook his head in agreement. "Yes, Tsunade-sama. I am just as surprised at how easy everything was. From what you and Jiraiya have told me, Orochimaru wouldn't die this quickly, which is why I wanted to have this meeting to get everyone's opinion."

"It's a trap," came Fugaku's voice. "We're being lulled into thinking everything's okay."

"Yes, I agree. That's the only thing that makes sense. Orochimaru wouldn't let himself be killed," Tsunade said.

Jiraiya was shaking with emotion. "Sensei," he murmured.

Naruto, standing next to him, heard it and reached out to give his godfather a hug. He then walked over to Itachi and did the same.

"There's one more thing," Itachi said as he looked at all of them. "When he was in my genjutsu, I felt a little bit of his panic. There was also something writhing within his chakra, something that I can't explain, like it was eating him."

Jiraiya gasped and looked at Tsunade, who smiled triumphantly. "He's sick, and probably dying. _That's_ why he'd originally tried to get the Kyuubi fifteen years ago. Kurama's chakra would undo whatever's eating him."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, and he's always had a weak body. It was one of the things he hated about himself when we were all young."

Everyone then looked at Naruto, who had unconsciously placed a hand over his stomach as if to protect Kurama.

"By tomorrow, this news will spread throughout the village," Tsunade said. "We'll treat the news that the threat is not aborted, that Orochimaru's death doesn't mean we all let our guards down. Shinobi will still remain alert. We're not crossing him out of the bingo books."

Everyone nodded.

In the remaining silence, Jiraiya suddenly declared, "I think that Naruto should leave the village and go with me to Mount Myouboku."

Mikoto quickly protested, "Don't you think we should all stay together? That's the safest option. If Orochimaru will strike, it's safer for him to be in Konoha."

Itachi shook his head. "No, that won't work, Mother. He's better off continuing his training at Mount Myouboku."

Fugaku laid a hand on Mikoto's shoulder. Sasuke came to stand next to him. She looked up at Fugaku and smiled briefly. She laid one of hers over his. She then looked at Itachi and said, "I knew as soon as I said I opened my mouth that that's what everyone would say." She looked at Naruto. "I wanted to try anyway."

Naruto frowned at his family. "Wait, that's not what _I_ want! I'm not going anywhere. I don't want to hide. I'm staying here."

"Naruto," Itachi said quietly. "You're not going into hiding. You're getting stronger by perfecting sage mode. You can't learn it here. You _have_ to go to the Toads' place."

Naruto shook his head. There was a mulish set to his face. He was being punted off again, away from all of them, and nobody even thought to ask his opinion.

"I don't want to leave the family."

Fugaku was just as adamant. "Like Itachi said, you need sage mode to become stronger."

"No!" Naruto burst out. "If I have to leave home to learn it, it's not worth it. Why can't I stay home for now? Everybody knows I'm the Fourth Hokage's son already, and like Mikoto said, wouldn't it be better for me to stay here if Orochimaru will target me?"

"Don't be so selfish!" Fugaku's anger flared, a flash of red lit his eyes, the first time he'd ever activated it against his family.

Naruto drew back in surprise, his breath hitching as he felt his father's true wrath for the first time.

Itachi stepped forward to dispel the tension.

"If Orochimaru _does_ strike, you need to be prepared," Itachi said soothingly. "Sage mode is your best defense. Plus, you're putting the safety of the village in jeopardy if you're here. If nobody knows where you are or if you're in Mount Myouboku, you'll be harder to get to. Think about it, Naruto."

Tsunade cleared her throat. "I'll make this easy for everyone, then. Naruto, your mission is to go back to Mount Myouboku and finish training in sage mode. You'll stay there until you get it perfect."

It was an order from the Hokage, and as shinobi, there was no way he could refuse.

Naruto nodded curtly.

* * *

Despite his deep misgivings about Orochimaru's supposed death, Jiraiya took Naruto out of Konoha and they both traveled back to Mount Myouboku. Itachi was skilled and had enough intelligence to defeat somebody like Orochimaru, but he was a tricky bastard and Jiraiya didn't believe somebody as slippery as him would die so easily.

Part of him had also recognized Naruto's need for growth away from his family as he tried to figure out what path to take in the future. While Jiraiya hoped his godson would continue to become shinobi, he was willing to accept whatever the boy wanted to do.

However, Jiraya still had a promise left to fulfill. Once Naruto mastered sage mode, that would be all he needed for the future, what he knew Minato would have wanted his son to learn. He glanced at Naruto, looking gloomy and frustrated to be away from Konoha again.

Sorry, kid, he thought to himself. From here on out, everything gets tougher once you become an adult.

But Jiraiya needn't have worried. With the help of Fukasaku, they managed to teach Naruto complete sage mode in a few months.

There was a triumphant smile on the boy's face as the area around his lids glowed orange.

"Well?" Jiraiya asked. "How does it feel?"

Naruto grinned. "Awesome! My range for sensing has expanded beyond Kurama's power. And like you said, your punches don't hurt as much when I'm in this cloak."

Jiraiya shook his head. "When we get back to Konoha, you need to get Tsunade to test it out. I think she'd be happy to beat you up."

Naruto laughed.

But when they were on their way home, Jiraiya pondered the idea of using Naruto for a different purpose as he realized that the boy had the capacity to remember facts and figures. Maybe he could be trained into becoming an intelligence officer.

His relationship with Kurama also made him perfect for the kind of work that Jiraiya had in mind. The fact that Naruto had shadow clones allowed him to enter danger without risking too much life and information. Should a clone get caught, it wouldn't be able to divulge information about Konoha while still preserving information that could be transferred to the original.

Sage mode would give him the sensing skills to weed out people who were lying or who had malicious intent.

Taking him out of Konoha to see the rest of the world appealed to Jiraiya, and it would be a chance for Naruto to gather information about the other elemental villages.

It would also allow him to take Naruto away from home and the growing tension between him and Fugaku.

When he broached the subject with the Hokage, both Tsunade and Shikaku gave their approval. Mikoto missed him desperately, but Fugaku had also liked and encouraged the plan, who saw it as another way for Naruto to serve the village.

* * *

The work involved lots of travel to other villages, where Naruto saw Jiraiya in action at his best, a spy and an intelligence-gathering expert. But he was troubled by how different the man became when he was talking to different people. Sometimes, Jiraiya was joking and full of wisecracks. Sometimes, he was begging and pleading. He liked it best when Jiraiya was cool and collected and used threats to get his information.

Still, it pained Naruto the most when he saw Jiraiya humbling himself and played the fool most of the time.

"It doesn't bother me, so it shouldn't bother you," the sage responded.

But Naruto remained unconvinced.

Jiraiya smiled. "Listen, people are more willing to give you information if you act like an idiot. The people we deal with, they like to feel good about themselves and will share a lot of things with people they look down on. Never underestimate people's desire to feel superior over others. Just remember that when you want to gather intel. Learn to flatter people and appeal to their pride. Playing the fool really helps. Either that or charm the pants off them."

"I guess so," Naruto finally replied.

With that advice, Naruto developed a work persona and followed through on Jiraiya's words. Because as he observed more, it _did_ make sense. People became unguarded when they thought they were in the presence of an idiot. And he knew now how he could use other people's pride to his own benefit.

The more they traveled, the more Naruto also learned about the way his village worked.

"What we're doing is gathering information for Konoha," Jiraiya said as they stood to the side observing their targets. Ostensibly, they looked like regular shop owners, but Jiraiya's informants had given them a tip, which was why they were being watched.

"We're monitoring what's happening in other places to make sure that we're not caught flatfooted in any type of situation. We try to make sure that any rumor we hear about revolution, revolt, or just plain discontent _stays_ a rumor."

They were quiet as they continued to watch. The shop was a front. The real business was stealing contraband that was then sold in the black market. Their current mission was to gather proof.

"We're hitting all these villages because we want to see what they have, too," Jiraiya continued to explain. "Any type of weapon, or types of villains that we need to watch out for. We need to be on top of that. We take note, bring it back to Konoha and make sure we've got something to counter it."

"Wouldn't it be better to just get rid of it ourselves?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya's smile was grim. "Oh, always! But it won't be easy to solve a solution like that. Political problems are never so simple. That's why nothing ever gets done properly."

* * *

The places they traveled filled Naruto with excitement and interest. He loved learning about different cultures. But mostly, he loved the people—or more specifically, the beautiful girls who smiled at him and beckoned with a charming wave.

Jiraiya observed all this with amusement, but he said nothing to Naruto. The only time he'd jumped in was when Naruto had been approached by a slightly older, but extremely tall, flat-chested woman.

"Nope, she's high-level stuff," Jiraiya had said as he dragged Naruto far away from her. She was now yelling curses at them, making Naruto feel bad.

"She's _way_ out of your league. You're not ready for somebody like her yet, so give it a couple of years," was all Jiraiya said when Naruto complained.

At the yakitori place where they decided to have their meal, Jiraiya suddenly decided to discuss a few important things with Naruto.

"I think we can start talking about womanizing," he declared after giving their order to the waiter.

Naruto recalled their earlier conversation when he'd been a child. He grinned at Jiraiya. "No, thanks. I think I'm okay. No need to tell me."

"Hmph!" said the older man as he slammed his bottle of sake on the table. "You think you know it all?"

"No, I just don't want advice from _you,_ " Naruto said with a smirk. "Anyway, I'm not a womanizer. I think I'm a one-woman type of guy. I see Fugaku with Mikoto and hear about my mom and dad and I want that type of relationship for myself. I don't need a harem, unlike _some_ people."

Jiraiya snarled at him, "For your information, I don't need a harem, either!"

"Yeah, right," Naruto mumbled. But in a louder voice, he said, "I hope so. At your age?!"

"Listen, you little shit, you show more appreciation to your sensei," Jiraiya yelled as he punctuated his words with loud, heavy, angry bangs on the table. "I may be a romance novelist, but I am still your godfather. You show me some _respect!_ "

"Shh! Okay, okay!" hissed Naruto looking around him as people in the restaurant threw them looks of annoyance. He was flushing red, embarrassed to be the center of so much attention, sitting with a man loudly proclaiming to all the world that he wrote _romance novels_.

Jiraiya suddenly chuckled. "Knew that would get you to shut up!"

He then offered the sake bottle to Naruto, who shook his head. Jiraiya asked, "I thought you still had a girl in Konoha? Why all the sudden interest in all these different women?"

Naruto shrugged and picked at his food.

"I broke up with Sakura."

"Oh?"

"Actually, _we_ broke up. It was just a mutual decision."

"How come?"

Naruto picked up a skewer of chicken and took a bite. "When we were first dating she was really into me, but I think the more she hung around with me and got to know Sasuke better, she fell in love with him. And he definitely felt the same for her. She told me and we both decided that we shouldn't be together. I just didn't want her to be with me if her heart really wants to be with Sasuke."

Jiraiya took another sip of his sake and nodded. "That's pretty wise and noble of you."

Naruto suddenly laughed. "Nah, that's not it at all. Is it bad that I don't feel like jumping off a cliff that we're broken up? I guess my feelings for her weren't as deep as I thought?"

Jiraiya peered at him and then nodded. "Sounds like it."

Naruto kept smiling. "If anything, I'm really happy for the both of them. I know for sure that Sasuke loves her. I think Sakura and I are better off as friends, anyway. We just spent too much time together as teammates."

"Interesting," Jiraiya said.

"But, enough about me. How's _your_ love life?" Naruto said with a mischievous smile.

"Mine?" Jiraiya sputtered.

"Yes! You and the Hokage."

"How'd you know about that?" asked Jiraiya with a frown.

Naruto rolled his eyes and laughed. "Well, it's really obvious even if you try to hide it. I see you pining after her every time she's around. I guess you guys being together as teammates all those years ago had the opposite effect? You had more feelings for her then? Me and Sakura were just really good friends."

"Mind your business! You're pretty young to be dishing out relationship advice to your betters," Jiraiya said with a frown.

"Betters?!" Naruto chuckled. "Hah, that's a good one! _Olders_ , more like!"

Jiraiya cuffed him on the shoulder, but he laughed, too. "No, my boy. You're right. Maybe one of these days I'll be honest enough to admit my feelings to her."

"Yup. You should!" Naruto said as he ate the last of his meal. "You're old enough to know that being honest with your feelings is usually the best path to take."

* * *

The next day, they arrived in Iwa, where Naruto met a woman who would change his life.

She was older than him—two years, to be exact. She had dark brown hair cut into a bob and beautiful dark eyes that snapped at him when he'd run into her in the streets.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot!" she yelled.

"Sorry," Naruto said knowing he was in the wrong, but he'd instinctively reached out to grab her arm before she could fall. He steadied her but he found himself instantly surrounded by three men in shinobi armor.

"Take your hands off her!" a big, burly one shouted.

Naruto assessed them and knew he could probably fight off the three of them with his Kyuubi mode but he didn't want to expose himself out here. Nobody was supposed to know who he was.

He raised his hands up in the air. "Okay, they're up!"

"Kurotsuchi-sama! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "There was no need for you guys to butt in."

Kurotsuchi? She was the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, then. Naruto tried to recall the information he'd stored in his brain. Yes. Second in line for the position. Her father was first. Capable of fire, earth, and water release nature transformation. A shinobi skilled in taijutsu and kenjutsu.

He didn't realize she'd be this young, though.

And beautiful.

She peered at him and he thought he saw signs of recognition on her face. But she wasn't supposed to know who _he_ was, either.

She raised a brow. "I know you... I've seen your pictures somewhere," she mumbled quietly to herself. Then she gasped softly as if finally realizing who he was.

She looked at the three guards. "I don't need you guys. He's fine."

They grumbled, but they had no choice but to obey. Quietly, they walked away from them. The big, burly one kept scowling and sent him a dark, threatening glare but eventually turned around and caught up to the other two.

She turned to him. "What the hell were you doing anyway? How come you weren't paying attention to where you were going?"

"Oh, I was trying to remember what my mother wanted from Iwa," he lied smoothly. "She asked me to get it for her."

She laughed. "Today's your lucky day then. I happen to know a lot about this town so I'll help you with whatever you need."

He smiled at that.

Then she introduced herself. "I'm Kurotsuschi."

"I'm Naruto."

She nodded.

They walked through town, with her telling him where the best places to find the souvenir he wanted to get for Mikoto. While he pretended to search for a gift, he gathered the information Shikaku had wanted.

Kurotsuchi was friendly with everyone in town and having her there to guide him also helped ease his way with the townspeople as he subtly gathered his own intel. He suspected that she might have been helping him so he could succeed.

"What are you doing for dinner?" she suddenly asked.

"I've got—"

"Naruto!" came Jiraiya's voice as the three ran into each other.

Jiraiya instantly recognized who she was and only nodded at her. He didn't ask for an introduction. She did the same. Everyone pretended they didn't know each other's identities.

So while Jiraiya was left by himself, Naruto ended up having dinner with Kurotsuchi that night—and several nights after that, too. Until she felt comfortable enough to invite him to her place, where Naruto found out all about why Kakashi was so fascinated by Jiraiya's books and why his godfather was successful at selling so many copies of his romance novels.

On their way home, Jiraiya noted the flushed look on Naruto's face and resisted the urge to tease—mercilessly. Instead, he just said, "I hope you're not going to come back here someday and find a little version of you running around."

"What?! No! We used protection," Naruto blurted without thought.

Jiraiya only smirked.

Naruto lowered his head into his uniform.

"By the way, we need to get you out of those trainers. Don't you think you need new mission gear? You're what? Seventeen now? We need something new. Something that will make you look more mature."

"Now that you've become a man," Jiraiya added in an undertone.

Naruto's face was completely red, but he nodded.

Jiraiya didn't say anything else anymore about the topic, but he was kind enough to leave his teasing just to smirks.

* * *

Naruto found that he thrived on being an intelligence officer and infinitely preferred the work of gathering information than doing the actual shinobi work of searching for and apprehending villains.

Being out of Konoha meant he could be free and ignore the fact that he was the Fourth Hokage's son. Out here, in the other elemental villages, nobody knew who he was and he was free to move around without scrutiny. He loved the freedom, the anonymity of not having a past already attached to him.

Outside the village, he was a normal, regular guy.

Granted, he was still a shinobi on missions, but it was one of the things he liked—being able to accomplish his goals without the hindrance of having to explain anything about himself.

His relationship with his family remained loving despite the steady, silent, and unexpressed pressure they placed on his shoulders. Fugaku eased off a little and wasn't constantly hounding him as he'd done before. Shikaku's constant praise of his intelligence work seemed to have satisfied him—for the moment. They'd gone back to the ease of their earlier relationship, before he'd turned that sharingan upon him.

However, it still felt too much like their hopes would hound him until he died, all because of his parentage. Naruto didn't want to disappoint his family so his solution was to ignore it and pretend he didn't feel any of it.

While he loved the Uchihas with all his heart, he remained resolutely silent, never mentioning anything about Minato.

It was just one of those things he learned to live with. It seemed appropriate for someone like him. He'd already accepted that he was forever going to be compared to his legendary father.

Plus, when it came to his brothers, despite what people said, Naruto knew he could never compare to them. They were too good at what they did. Itachi was a master at genjutsu and was silently, stealthily working under the Hokage's direction. Meanwhile, Sasuke was steadily chugging along the path he'd chosen, doing so much with his sharingan, active in ANBU.

Naruto, meanwhile, was happily working outside the village, quietly doing his part to provide information that Shikaku needed to run the village. He felt really happy that Kurama was being generous whenever he lent him his power. Without the power of the beast, he would be nothing.

Kurama rumbled then. "Naruto, quit being such a sloppy crybaby. Pull your big boy pants up! There's work to be done. You got a message from the Hokage."

 _Fine,_ Naruto responded when Kurama pulled him away from his thoughts.

"Oh, look. Tsunade and Shikaku want you to go to Iwa again," Kurama said.

* * *

That morning, before he left, he ran into Fugaku, who was just returning from his shift. He smiled at Naruto tiredly.

Naruto squinted at him then said, "Pops, those bags under your eyes seem to be growing bigger the older you get."

Fugaku snorted. "Don't make it seem like I'm old enough to retire. I still have a good few years left in me yet!"

Naruto laughed and walked over to give him a hug.

Fugaku squeezed him back and held on longer for a couple seconds when he felt Naruto stepping out of the hug.

"Fugaku?" Naruto asked, looking at his father with concern. "You okay?"

Fugaku sighed and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You be careful when you're on this mission, okay?"

"I'm always careful. You know I love doing this since it's the most boring job ever for a shinobi. I've found my true calling doing intelligence work. Nothing ever happens," Naruto joked.

But the older man barely responded with a slight smile. He sighed instead. "There was a young shinobi about yours and Sasuke's age that got murdered yesterday—savagely beaten then killed by an exploding scroll. He got careless, I think, got caught in an enemy's trap. But I hate hearing about these things."

"Oh, man," Naruto said as he hugged him again. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

Fugaku nodded then rallied, his calm and collected persona returning. He flashed him a more composed smile. "Anyway, you take it easy in Iwa."

"I will."

* * *

Back in Iwa, he was looking forward to seeing Kurotsuchi again. His relationship with her had continued for two years.

But somehow, at nineteen, he felt like something was different whenever he came to see her. She seemed more reluctant to continue meeting with him.

It was then that she finally told him the truth.

"Are you free tomorrow, too?" Naruto asked as he brushed short, dark tendrils of hair behind her ear. She was wrapped around him, at her apartment, both snuggled in the bed.

She nodded as she ran her palms over his naked chest. She burrowed deeper into his warmth when she felt him sigh.

"You're very sweet," she said after a few minutes of silence.

Her tone was serious. He eased off from under her body so that they were lying on their sides and facing each other on the bed.

"Naruto, you knew from the beginning that this can't continue forever, right?" Kurotsuchi said hesitantly. "I'm free tomorrow and after that, but this might be the last time we're together. I'm getting married to a handpicked suitor by my family. He's the perfect mate."

Naruto was quiet. "Yeah, I figured. This is how it usually works when it comes to political dynasties and being kage right?"

She smiled at him. "Yes. And you might as well get used to the idea, too, since you're going to be Hokage. "

He frowned. "What the hell are you talking about, Kurotsuchi?"

She reached out and brushed her hand on his chest. "Don't pretend like you don't know, Naruto!"

"I'm not pretending. I've never aspired to be Hokage."

She laughed in disbelief. "Whatever. Deny it all you want, but you're being groomed for the position already."

"Can we not talk about this?"

But she continued talking as if he hadn't spoken. She held up her fingers and counted the reasons. "You're the son of the fourth Hokage, godson to a legendary shinobi, raised by the Uchihas, and wielder of one of the greatest weapons in the world," she said as she tapped him on the abdomen.

His fingers gripped hers. "He's not a _weapon_ ," he corrected her with a fierce look in his eyes, steel in his voice.

She realized her mistake and nodded in apology.

He smiled briefly and tried to ease the tension. "Besides, I'm not being _groomed_ , like you say."

She laughed. " _Groomed_ , my golden boy," she insisted.

"No, I'm not." He shook his head vehemently. "Konoha will choose better candidates. There's Itachi. Sasuke is just as good. Kakashi-sensei, too. _He_ would be _my_ pick to be the next Hokage when Tsunade retires."

"Kakashi, yes. And Itachi, too, but I suspect he's content to stay in the shadows, he's thriving so much in ANBU. Sasuke has always looked up to his older brother, so his path will remain in the shadows, too. Plus, I think he wants to be in the Konoha police like your father and the rest of the Uchihas."

His gaze on her was sharp. "Your informants have done their job really well. I've never told you anything about my life."

His face was suddenly tense. "I really hope none of this gets talked about beyond the two of us."

She stilled the movements of her hands on his chest and rose up with dignity. Her voice was haughty. "Did you really think people allowed this relationship to happen without anyone checking up on you?! I am the _granddaughter_ of the Tsuchikage!"

He frowned. "Fine," he said as he grasped her hand and kissed it by way of apology. "I guess I'm going to have to trust you then."

She laughed, and there was a little bit of derision in it. "Naruto, you're going to have to realize that we're never ever free. People will always be checking up on you. Especially if you're going to become Hokage. _You're_ going to have a lot of obstacles."

"Kurotsuchi, I said drop it. I don't want to talk about this topic with you or with anybody else."

"Okay," she said, sensing the anger simmering underneath.

They were quiet for a little bit.

After a few minutes, Naruto smiled and said, "I guess I should say congratulations? I wish you both happiness."

She snorted in reply. "You can wish all you want, but it's not going to happen. I've never met the guy."

He hid his surprise. "You guys can still be happy once you get to know each other."

"Have you always been this naive?" Kurotsuchi asked with amusement. "It's a political marriage, Naruto. It's just a contract with another powerful family to make sure that the Tsuchikage remains strong by allying ourselves to people with lots of resources."

"Yeah, I understand that. I just wish it could be different. I really _do_ wish you happiness, Kurotsuchi." He smiled at her. "I'm glad I'm just a regular guy. I want to actually _love_ my wife, the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."

"Regular!" she chortled. "Oh, honey, you are the least regular person I know. Don't be so ingenious! People like us don't get to be so lucky!"

* * *

As breakups go, Naruto was glad theirs had been relatively peaceful—though he did wonder whether he'd been fully invested in the relationship from the beginning. He wasn't heartbroken and she seemed okay. There was no need to worry about her for the moment.

He thought of Fugaku and Mikoto and their strong marriage. He recalled the stories of his own parents and smiled to himself. Yes, Minato and Kushina had really loved each other, too. He remembered the wedding he'd gone to just before he'd left for this mission. Asuma-sensei had looked really happy standing next to Kurenai-sensei.

Yes, it was possible. People fell in love and could have strong relationships.

Contrary to her beliefs, he really _did_ wish Kurotsuchi joy and love in her marriage to this man she'd never met.

He hoped she would be happy.

Someday, when the time was right, he would find a woman who would love him as much as he did her.


	7. The Pact

_**Just a heads up, guys:** Part Two, Hinata's story, contains gory details that might make some of you uncomfortable. This is where the hurt comes. (But not in this immediate chapter, though, and I will give you warnings ahead to let you know which ones.)_

* * *

**Part 2: Assassin**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Pact**

The sound of an open palm hitting flesh echoed through the training room. Neji grunted in pain as Hinata's hand grazed him on his stomach, sending a wave of powerful chakra that penetrated into his guts and made him stagger backwards. He landed on his butt on the tatami mat.

From his position on the floor, he drew back and shook his head slightly at her. The action was small enough to escape the sharp eyes of the older Hyuugas watching them fight. His grandfather sat tapping his cane as he glared at Hinata. Hiashi's arms were folded, his face frozen and expressionless. His younger twin stood beside him, his face held a hint of worry for the two combatants.

Neji sharpened his gaze on Hinata's face and raised a slight brow.

 _What are you doing? It's my turn today,_ he communicated silently.

Hinata apologized with the slow downward sweep of her eyelashes. _I'm sorry, Neji._ She bowed slightly. _Yes, it is, and I'll fight according to plan._

"Again!" came their grandfather's gruff voice. "We haven't decided today's victor."

Neji stood up and the younger Hyuugas bowed again at each other. After that, he suddenly went on the attack. Her cousin's palm grazed her arm and she felt the pain all the way to her neck. She resisted the urge to punch at Neji's hand that made contact with her body.

Instead, she pooled all her energy into deceiving their audience. This time around, Hinata channeled just the right amount of chakra to match Neji's strength. She fought back with all her might—or made it _look_ like she was still giving it her all and matching Neji's skill.

Unbeknownst to the older Hyuugas in the room, the fight had already been decided between the younger generation. Today was supposed to be Neji's victory. Two weeks ago, Hinata had won. In another two weeks, they were planning for her to win again.

This was the only way to thwart their grandfather's schemes.

But she'd momentarily forgotten to stick to their plan when she'd heard her sister's voice. Neji had been fighting her, relentlessly landing blows against her arms and her legs with his Gentle Fist technique. It had taken all her concentration to let her body accept the pain and restrain her instinctive desire to use all her power to hit him back.

The plan had been for her to resist and then let him hit her on the stomach, for _her_ to go down in defeat.

It had almost fallen apart when Hinata had heard Hanabi laughing. Her younger sister's happy laughter had drifted through the open windows from outside, breaking her concentration. Hearing it, Hinata had been driven by a surge of adrenaline and she'd fought back with her true ability, surprising Neji with the sudden flow of power.

She'd almost upset their carefully laid plans. She shouldn't win today because that would make their win-loss uneven, overturning the balance of their carefully planned record.

Hinata forced herself to feel nonresistance and commanded her body not to fight back as Neji spun and hit her leg, sweeping her down onto the floor. As he did, his hand grazed her thigh, hitting an essential tenketsu. It knocked her out of her breath, leaving her gasping on the floor.

"Hinata, can you get up?" her father's voice asked.

"Yes," she said, but she was slow as she stood up. The pain in her leg was excruciating. She took a deep breath. Neji's mouth was tight. She knew he didn't like it either, but they needed to do this together. "I can still fight."

"Continue, then!" her grandfather barked. "We haven't settled anything yet."

"Father…" came Hizashi's voice.

His father ignored him. "Neji, Hinata. Fight!"

Hinata held up her arms, her byakugan activated. Neji's stance was similar. Then they were flying towards each other, each one desperately landing blows on whatever body part they could touch, until Neji landed a hit on her stomach that toppled Hinata onto her elbows and knees and made her cough up blood.

It was enough to decide the victor of today's match.

Neji drew back, an expression of distaste clear on his face as he faced his grandfather. He bowed at him then started for Hinata, but his grandfather's cold voice stopped him in his tracks.

"There's no need to help her! I told both of you to treat each other as enemies when you're in this room. No mercy! You need to learn that now. Both of you, don't get soft! She can get up on her own."

Hinata was already struggling to sit up. She briefly looked at Neji and flicked him the smallest smile she hid under the cover of her hair.

_Thank you._

He nodded contritely at her. _Next time, make sure you beat the shit out of me._

"Hizashi, take Neji and leave. Hiashi, get Natsu to fix up Hinata. Hanabi doesn't need her today. She should be okay without her for a few minutes."

Neji and Hinata stiffened slightly when they heard Hanabi's name on their grandfather's lips. There was a look of panic on Hinata's face, and Neji quickly flashed her a look of reassurance.

Hinata quickly tamped down her panic, willing herself to calm down. Breathe, she told herself. Nothing will happen to Hanabi. Her grandfather won't touch her younger sister.

No, their plan was sound. If Hinata and Neji could convince the old man that they were both evenly matched and evenly skilled, then Hanabi wouldn't need to be subjected to this torture.

Hiashi came to help her up even as Natsu entered the training room. Hinata was relieved to see that her sister hadn't come in. She didn't want Hanabi to see her bleeding.

"Can you stand?" came her father's gentle voice.

She nodded. "I can do it," she said. But she was hobbling even with Natsu's help.

Hiashi watched her go.

His father came to stand next to them.

"It's uncanny how evenly matched they are."

"Well, Hizashi and I have instructed both of them with their Juuken, so they should be good."

"But it's almost _too_ perfectly equal."

"Yes, but it's also the first time that the son and daughter of Hyuuga _twins_ are facing off against each other." Hiashi looked at his father. "Maybe because of that, they've somehow inherited our skills evenly."

Shingen humphed. "What rot! Something tells me they planned it."

Hiashi's mouth hardened briefly then he shot his father a look of incredulity. "But how could that be when they'd had no contact with each other for the last few months?" he asked. "They're being observed closely and none of the watchers have seen anything suspicious. They haven't talked to each other at all. They're not supposed to know of this test. I haven't told Hinata and I know for a fact that Hizashi has no idea what we're doing because you forbade me to speak of it to him."

"I know that! But I don't like it. They're _too_ good," Shingen Hyuuga barked.

"Maybe this year we can have two candidates, instead of one?"

The older man nodded. "I like the idea of it because it fills me with pride that we can produce two of really good caliber. But if shit hits the fan, then we lose both. They both need to be sacrificed."

"I doubt that they would _both_ need to be sacrificed, _if_ at all. It would be impossible for the two of them to mess up their respective missions at the same time. If anything, we can afford to lose only one of them."

* * *

Outside the room, Hinata's heart was pounding. She'd dragged her feet slowly to better hear the conversation and she was glad she did.

So their grandfather suspected, but he still had no way to prove it. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the talk of being sacrificed had long ago ceased to shock her.

She'd just turned seven when she'd heard the older men talk about sacrifice. It had taken her a couple of moments to realize that what they'd meant as sacrifice was the loss of hers and Neji's lives. What had shocked her the most was the casual tone of the conversation. From the dispassionate way the older men had talked, it seemed as if their lives held no value, that they could easily be tossed away like garbage.

The betrayal of her father's love had cut deep, rocking her world and made her feel like the unwanted child that she was. Her mind screamed that it wasn't her fault that she'd been born a girl. She knew how much her parents had wanted a boy, but she'd thought and felt that despite being born a girl, her parents had loved her.

After that conversation, she'd watched her father closely, trying to gauge how he felt about her. Nothing changed in the way he treated her, even as the words sacrifice and loss reverberated in her mind every time he smiled at her.

But time gave her the wisdom to understand that her father had, during his conversation with Shingen, indulged in his tendency for sarcasm. Hiashi usually treated her and Hanabi kindly but was usually muttering under his breath about his own father.

There was not a lot of love lost between father and son.

Yes, Hinata thought. Her father was an ally. She could trust him—or at the very least, he would do her no harm.

Her grandfather, meanwhile, scared her. She sensed the cruelty and desire for power that lurked underneath his carefully crafted surface.

Secrets had a way of coming to fore, especially when older adults forgot to watch their mouths among bright, intuitive children. She'd overheard her grandfather talking about the upcoming test between her and Neji, and in his unguarded moments, he'd inadvertently spilled his own secret. He'd complained about Hiashi birthing girls and mourning the loss of the third child that had killed Hinata's mother: a longed-for son.

"Bah! Girls are useless. Maybe Neji will be good enough. But who will he fight against? The only one closest in age to him is Hinata, and she's weak."

"She's not," Hiashi insisted. "She's stronger than she looks. Give her the chance."

"I don't like the idea of her beating Neji."

"If she _does_ beat Neji and ends up being the one accepted by the Hokage for the special work we Hyuugas must perform, then you'd be okay with her being the scapegoat should she make mistakes in the future," Hiashi said, but his voice was filled with sarcasm.

The older man humphed. "She can be the throwaway then. But Hanabi looks like she's got some backbone in her. She might be more useful than her older sister."

This time, though, Hiashi fought back. "Father, as much as you are the head of this clan, I encourage you to watch your words around me when you talk about my children." The steel was evident in Hiashi's voice.

"Bah!" Shingen said again, almost spitting, but he held his tongue. Instead, he said, "Fine! Hinata and Neji will fight it out and we see who goes on to become the chosen assassin for the Hokage. Only one of them can do so."

"And we must tell them about the risk of them becoming sacrificed in the future, should they ever fail," Hiashi added.

"I still say they don't need to know that until the very end when it's finally decided who goes on to become the assassin this time around."

"That's evil and at the very least, _unjust_ , considering what we're asking them to do," Hiashi argued.

"I don't care as long as we keep producing capable ones who can do their missions, kill successfully, all without heaping any shame upon the Hyuuga name."

The shock of hearing Hanabi's name on her grandfather's lips had opened up a cavern of fear in Hinata. She could deal with whatever hardship her grandfather inflicted upon her, but imagining her sister's bright face crumpling under whatever darkness he'd planned almost broke her. She didn't want Hanabi to lose her cheerful nature, and Hinata vowed that she would do everything in her power to meet whatever expectations her father and her grandfather had for her.

But she would fight and she would give her life meaning. She was not going to bow down to her grandfather's schemes. If she was going to be a sacrifice, then she was going to make sure that Hanabi would never have to feel like she was useless, like she had no value at all to the family.

Even if it meant defeating her cousin in this fight the older men had planned.

But Neji had been kinder and more understanding than she'd expected.

Before their match, she'd practiced on her own, all the known jutsus that she'd looked up. The taijutsu training she'd been required to learn since the age of four had given her the strength she needed. But against Neji, it would be useless. They were too similar and they'd even trained together most of the time.

So Hinata decided to add more to her skillset, something that could surprise Neji, particularly since he was a boy and would naturally be stronger than her. She'd gone to do her own research, searching the Hyuuga records for ways to improve her strength.

But what she found was a special technique that gave her the ability to control the amount of chakra she could project to others, to mute her own strength. Ideas began rolling in her head. It could be used to lull enemies, to make them believe that they had won, and then she could attack when they were unguarded.

She had the element of surprise right in her hands.

She smiled to herself knowing that this type of ability was exactly something that her grandfather would believe to be completely useless because it was "weak."

Hinata had been prepared to use it on Neji to win her fight, but he never gave her the chance to use it.

She'd attacked first and then had defended against Neji, who countered with the exact same moves she'd just done. Of course, they _would_ fight the same because they'd gone through the same training since they'd been young. However, it continued for a good ten minutes of her attacking and Neji countering with carbon copy motions—all without changing his style.

Hinata began to suspect something.

It had taken her a couple of minutes to realize what he was doing, to understand the silent message he'd been communicating with his moves.

_I'll match you. Whatever you do, I will do the same exact thing._

She tried again, this time remembering the moves she planned to attack him. Step, thrust, parry, blow to the arm, graze to the side.

Neji advanced. Step, thrust, parry, blow to the arm, graze to the side.

No mistaking it. Her cousin had perfectly mirrored what she'd just done.

But what was Neji doing? And why?

He stepped back, byakugan fierce, and Hinata saw a slight widening in his eyes. It seemed like a warning. Then he was on the attack.

There was a left jab, an upward sweep towards her face with his right hand, a twist to the side and a low side sweep with his right leg.

Hinata had barely registered his moves, committing them to memory as she blocked him with her crossed arms and by jumping up to avoid his downward attack.

He backed off and took a step away from her, seeming to wait for her attack.

Hinata took a deep breath. Then she moved. Left jab, upward sweep for his face, side twist aiming for his left chest, a sweep with her right leg.

Neji was breathing hard, his face was expressionless, but there was a sense of approval emanating from him.

_You got it. You copy me. We match each other._

And it clicked in Hinata's brain, Neji's message: _We do this together. I will help you._

So he'd known, too, what their grandfather had planned with this fight. And he was willing to help her thwart his plans.

She'd nearly cried from relief, but they were still fighting. Both their fathers watching attentively and their grandfather between them, still seething with his perpetual hate.

As they continued to fight in the darkly lit training room, Hinata began to wonder why the older men didn't stop them and call them out. True, this was only the first match. Maybe they were reserving judgment for later, when the fight was done? Even still, none of them caught on? Surely they could see the similarities, the almost exact copying of attacking moves.

But Hizashi, Hiashi, and Shingen only watched.

She would never question how her father had remained silent. Unlike their grandfather, who was older and could be fooled because the sharpness of his byakugan was fading, the twins were still young and still in their prime. She was sure they could tell what was happening between her and Neji. But to her everlasting astonishment and gratitude, they'd never said a word.

Hinata liked to think that it was tacit approval for hers and Neji's plan.

_We do this together._

* * *

She could hear Hanabi's light footfalls in the hallway and more than anything, Hinata wanted to go to her, but she was exhausted.

And hurting still.

Her body was sore and battered from her last fight with Neji. She looked down at herself and made sure to roll down her sleeves over her arms so Hanabi wouldn't see the bruises.

She heard the door to her bedroom slide open a crack.

Hinata didn't open her eyes when Hanabi called out in her soft, childish voice, "Psst! Onee-chan? Are you awake?"

"No, Hanabi. I'm not awake," she whispered back.

Hanabi giggled and ran to Hinata's bed. Only three years old, she struggled to get one leg off the floor to place it on the bed. She tried several times and failed miserably, making Hinata grin at her and pull her up onto her bed.

Hanabi snuggled next to Hinata and sighed. "Onee-chan, you're so warm."

Hinata laughed. "Where's Natsu, Hanabi?"

"I outran her again," came her sister's proud voice. There was a giggle. "She'll be here in a few minutes."

Sure enough, Natsu stormed into the room with the intent to drag her out of her older sister's room.

"Hanabi!" Natsu yelled. "I told you not to bother Hinata!"

"Natsu! Please?" Hanabi begged. "I haven't seen her all day today."

Hinata sat up from the bed and looked at her distant cousin. "It's okay, Natsu," she said with a smile. "I can take care of her now. She's not bothering me at all."

Natsu looked at Hinata's pale complexion and her face softened with sympathy. "No, you need to rest, Hinata. Hanabi will just bother you when she's here."

Hinata hugged Hanabi who was under the blanket and holding on with all her might to her tummy.

"Please, Natsu? Just for a few minutes? She won't bother me at all. I'll feel better if Hanabi's here with me."

Natsu's heart turned over. "Okay, you have one hour and then she has to go to her lessons."

Natsu left them and Hanabi sighed again, her breath fluttering against her sister's tummy.

Soon, though, she scrambled from out of the blankets and sat up. Hinata gingerly sat up, too.

"Wanna play ninjas and bad guys?" Hanabi asked brightly. "I'll be kunoichi and you're bad guy. I'll beat you up!"

She didn't. Not really. But Hinata laughed softly. Her sister was looking at her with her happy smile and she didn't want to disappoint her.

Hanabi must have sensed her hesitation because she frowned and looked at her sister more closely.

"Okay, let's play doctor? I'll be medic-nin and you're sick guy?"

"Sure, Hanabi," she grinned at her sister.

"Okay, now lay back. I'll check your heart."

Hinata lay down back on the bed as Hanabi laid her hands on her chest and added sounds to make sure her sister was getting some treatment.

"Shwushwushwushwu," Hanabi murmured under her breath, her face constricted into a serious frown. She looked at her sister's face and took her hands off Hinata's chest.

"Onee-chan! No smiling! You're sick!" she said with a pout. She reached up and forcibly closed her sister's eyes. She then moved on to Hinata's lips and used her thumb and pointer fingers to shape her mouth into a straight line.

"No smiling," Hanabi said again with a stern look. She waited until her older sister closed her eyes and stopped grinning before placing her hands again on Hinata's chest.

"Shwushwushwushwu."

Hinata pressed her lips together to keep from smiling and kept her eyes closed.

Hanabi then leaned down and pressed her ear into Hinata's heart and pretended to listen to her heartbeat.

 _I love you, Hanabi,_ she thought.

She felt infinitely better than she had a few minutes before. She felt lighter and even more content with her decision. Everything was worth the pain she had gone through during those rough matches against Neji.

All because Hanabi was here giving her "treatment."

Her younger sister straightened up again and pressed her warm palms against her sister's tummy this time.

" _Onee-chan_!" Hanabi yelled with frustration. "No _smiling_!"

Hinata pressed her lips together again. She hadn't realized she _had_ been.

"Shwushwushwushwu."

* * *

"You okay there, Hinata?" Hizashi asked with a smile as he picked her up from the ground.

Hinata had been running towards the hall on her way to dance practice. One of her older cousins was teaching them _buyou_ , the traditional Japanese dance that all Hyuuga girls were required to learn. While hurrying, she hadn't been paying attention and had been rifling through her bag checking to make sure she had everything. She hadn't seen him and had accidentally smacked into her uncle.

She smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm fine, Uncle Hizashi."

He smiled back at her then asked, "How's your injury from the last match?"

Her expression grew anxious. "Are you allowed to ask me that? I'm not supposed to talk to Neji yet. I think we have another week to go before everything is settled."

Hizashi's eyes darkened with anger, but it was aimed at his father, not at her. "I'm asking as a medic who's concerned for his niece's injuries. I don't care about that stupid clan shit." He smiled at her again. "Pardon my language."

Her eyes twinkled merrily, maybe for the first time in a long time, and she laughed quietly. "Thank you, Uncle. The last treatment you gave me really helped."

"I'm glad." He looked sad for a minute, but he said, "I know I'm not supposed to be discussing these things with you, but I just wanted to let you know that Neji missed you throughout all this."

Hinata felt her heart melt with gratitude for her uncle's kindness. It gave her the encouragement to hang on for one more week when plans would be finally revealed.

"When all this is done, come to me and I'll teach you some techniques to help you with breathing and to help you find peace and balance, okay?"

"What techniques?" Hinata asked, her interest piqued.

Hizashi smiled. "They're like exercises that combine stretching and breathing. Neji's learning them, too, so it would be a good idea for both of you to do them together."

"Okay, I will!"

"Good!" He grinned at her then he stooped down to pick up the towel that had fallen out of her bag and handed it to her. "Have fun at dance practice."

* * *

The older Hyuugas sat in front of them. Her grandfather Shingen sat with his never-ending sneer. Hiashi sat calmly with his arms folded, while his younger brother fidgeted quietly.

Hizashi was more shaken than he would ever admit to them. He hadn't realized that his older brother had shouldered so much responsibility these many years.

But he'd always suspected, though.

Hyuugas were good at keeping secrets and the biggest one between him and his older twin had been _this_. Hiashi had kept his status as an assassin hidden from his own brother all these years.

Hizashi had known something was wrong ever since they were children, and despite their connection to each other as twins, Hiashi had never let him in on the burden he'd carried all his life.

Hizashi had watched his older brother change from being happy to dark and secretive, close-mouthed. It continued on until his twenties, when he'd met Rina, his future wife.

Rina had melted the blackness in his older brother's life. Despite Shingen's disapproval, there had been a lot of love between husband and wife, which had made Hizashi so happy to see his brother back. The addition of the two beautiful girls had also brought more light into Hiashi's smile.

But the gloominess came back when Rina had died along with their third child. It became even more pronounced when Hiashi realized that Hinata would become sucked into this world, that she would also have to bear this cross that afflicted some chosen Hyuugas.

His father had told him of the purpose of the battle between the two children only a couple of days ago.

Hizashi had reeled with shock, but there had been pride, too, that his son was chosen for such prestigious work. Deep inside, though, he knew what the cost to their souls would be. He hoped Neji would refuse but as he looked at his son, he knew there was no way he would do so.

The children, meanwhile, marshaled their thoughts, careful not to reveal too much of their emotions in front of the leaders of the Hyuuga clan.

Hinata was debating on what face to put forth when her grandfather would make his announcement. Should she show shock and surprise? Should she be calm and stoic? Should she show anger?

She looked at Neji, who sat and stared unblinkingly at the most powerful members of the Hyuuga Clan. One of these days, the two of them might be in the same position, looking at a younger generation of themselves.

Hinata decided to take her lead from her cousin as she stole another glance at him.

Yes, cool and collected was the only way to approach this and she schooled her face into the same expression Neji had on his face. Her face never gave away the anxiety she felt inside.

She felt her grandfather's disapproval and felt a spurt of pleasure that they'd been successful in thwarting his plans. Yes, they would go through this path together, she thought gratefully as she felt Neji's calm presence beside her. She was glad that her older cousin would be there with her.

"I'll be blunt," Shingen said. "You two will be presented as candidates for Konoha's elite operatives. It is a duty that the Hyuugas have performed for the Hokage for centuries. Normally, we only profer one, but this year, we present them with two evenly matched and brilliant fighters who will be able to carry this load."

The children were silent so he continued. "You can choose to say no at this point."

But everyone knew the words were empty. There really had been no choice.

He waited to see their reactions but was surprised when two similarly blank looks only stared back at him. Despite himself, he was proud of the two still figures. No protests, no whining. And they seemed to have mastered their feelings and their expressions. They would serve Konoha well.

He nodded with approval.

"Good. We all understand each other then. Neji and Hinata, as representatives of our family, from here on out, you will be training together to learn the secrets of being an assassin."

The next look he shot at them was mingled with pride and contempt.

"You two will learn to control your chakra, to do damage with byakugan and Gentle Fist without leaving a mark and without leaving any clues of who did the killing."

He lifted a hand and pointed to the two men standing silently beside him. "Your fathers will continue to supervise your training in the Juuken even when you head off to the Ninja Academy. After that, you will enter the world of what the village considers normal for the children of shinobi families."

His smile turned nasty at his next words. "But added to the skills you will learn at school, I will instruct you in what is necessary to help you succeed in becoming an efficient killing machine."

Hinata inwardly shuddered. Looking at the expectant gleam in his eyes, she knew that her grandfather was looking forward to unleashing his cruelty upon them, all in the name of training.

Shingen continued. "As assassins, you will be different from normal shinobi. They have the legitimacy of being called such. Shinobi are accepted, revered, even. They are protected by the title of being ninjas. They are allowed to exist because they are the face of law and order."

He looked at his grandchildren then tapped his cane on the wooden floor, the sound echoing in the chamber. "To make this easier for both of you, accept that assassins are the opposite. We don't exist, we are expendable. That is our greatest strength. To be successful, you must remember that death is inevitable."

In the silence that followed, nobody spoke. Hinata had already made her decision when she'd gone down this path. In her heart, a heavy, constant pressure reminded her that what she wanted to protect was her sister's future, even if it resulted in her death. There was no need to speak of it to her, but she figured her grandfather wanted the chance to preen in front of his family.

"Hinata, Neji," Shingen called their names. He was still talking, but his voice and tone was cold, hardly comforting. "We dispense with justice and impose the will of Konoha upon its enemies, those who threaten the structure and the state, the lives of innocent people. But we don't officially exist. We are the shadow force, the instrument to be wielded when all the legitimate means are exhausted."

She kept her gaze steady on him and listened to his words. It made sense, in a way. But Hinata could see indoctrination methods at work. Her grandfather droned on, impervious to their reaction and allowed no one to interrupt. Neither his sons seemed inclined to do so, and she was determined to sit through this sermon even as her legs were tingling and numbed from sitting too long seiza-style.

"We Hyuugas, with our byakugan, have the ability to see through things, particularly the human body, straight through the points that control the flow of life. We are the perfect instrument of death. Because of this, Konoha has granted us standing as one of the more powerful clans in the village."

Here, Hiashi lifted his mouth slightly, ironically. Hinata caught it and saw the quick movement as the rebellion that it was. Apparently, her father disagreed.

Shingen wasn't done yet and hadn't caught his son's sardonic smile. Instead, he raised his hand again and pointed to his older son. "Each generation must produce candidates who can perform this task. In the generation before you, in our family, Hiashi was tasked with this order and now it falls upon the two of you to carry out this tradition. Since there are two of you, we expect your performance to be more than excellent."

There was a heavy, oppressive air where all four of them stood and sat. Their time in the room was coming to an end.

Shingen looked at his grandchildren, his byakugan activated as he pierced them with his glance.

"Neji, Hinata. Do not fail us," he added with finality. "Failure results in death."

Evidently, they were finally allowed to respond.

Neji and Hinata both nodded, sealing both their fates when they became assassins for Konoha.

* * *

They faced each other in the sunlight, no longer combatants but cousins. Grandchildren of the Hyuuga clan head.

They'd always been close before all of this had happened, and the last few months had been torturous for the both of them.

Hinata, especially, adored Neji and respected him as an older brother. He'd lost his mother when he'd been young, too, and had helped her when she'd lost her own two years ago.

When they'd suddenly become enemies, it had rocked her, but there had been no hesitation in her decision to fight against him.

But she was glad that the hastily-scraped plan they'd silently concocted in the middle of a fight had succeeded.

The adults had remained indoors and the two of them had walked outside into the courtyard to get some fresh air.

Now, they looked at each other.

"No hard feelings, Hinata?" Neji asked with his calm smile. The first words he'd spoken to her ever since they'd been kept apart.

Hinata shook her head. "Never, Neji!"

"You don't mind that we _both_ do it?"

She smiled at that. "I love that we _both_ do it together."

He came up to her and grabbed her hand. She squeezed his, hoping to convey her gratitude and heartfelt thanks for helping her.

"Thank you, Neji," she whispered.

He grinned at her. "Hinata, ask for help when you need it."

She nodded. "I'll try."

But Hinata looked at him and asked, "How did _you_ find out? I overheard Grandfather speaking to Father and that's how I knew about the fight."

"My father suspected it and told me."

Hinata started. Uncle Hizashi had told him even though he knew that it was forbidden to speak of it to Neji?

"Hinata, what's Grandfather going to do if he found out? Kick us out of the clan?"

His smile was ironic and she smiled back, knowing he was right.

"You know my father never cared for these clan things," Neji said.

Hinata resisted the urge to sigh about how unfair things were but she looked at her cousin with pride and a little bit of envy.

Neji was a boy and therefore prized over girls in the Hyuuga family.

There was no way he and his father were going to be turned out of the clan.

Or punished.

All because he was a boy.

While Hinata had been born a girl.

A curse, really.

Hinata knew she had to fight harder than anybody because she had a lot going against her. The most difficult thing she faced was her grandfather's misperceptions of her ability and worth.

Neji saw her expression of distaste and his own face twisted with sarcasm. "Exactly."

"I'll _help_ you, Hinata," he said again and gripped her hand more tightly.

Because no matter what, they were born into the Hyuuga clan head's family and they needed to stick together against the tyrant of a grandfather who saw no reason in raising a family with love and compassion.

Because it would weaken them.

"Oh, Neji," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

"We do this together."

"Yes, we will," she said.


	8. Academy Days

**WARNING: Descriptions of gore in the middle of this chapter.** _(Not sure what everyone's tolerance is but I'm just going to give you guys a heads up.)_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Academy Days**

She was the granddaughter of the clan head, the first-born daughter of the next in line.

Her family had expectations for her and Hinata met them all because it was not in her nature to rebel.

Her respect and love for her father carried too much weight. Because he was the only parent she knew, she didn't want to disappoint him.

If he told her to study the difficult Japanese classical texts in philosophy and history, she would learn them. If she needed to memorize Hyuuga facts and clan lore, she was duty-bound to do so. If she was told to become immersed in traditional Japanese art like _buyou_ and _shodou_ calligraphy, she would practice as much as she could. If taijutsu was a requirement for all Hyuugas, then as the representative of the clan, she would become the very best in it. If she was meant to join the family business and had to learn to use the abacus, then her role would be the most prominent and most important.

In short, Hinata was so busy doing clan things she never experienced a normal childhood.

And yet, she needed to understand what it was like to be a child because Tsunade had stepped in and demanded that Hinata do so.

She came, bursting through the heavy gates of the Hyuuga compound, but Tsunade managed to not blast them off their hinges. It was still, technically, private property.

Behind her trailed her chosen weapons. Jiraiya came in sauntering with his easy grin while Shikaku Nara, Fugaku Uchiha, and Sakumo Hatake walked in more sedately but with equal ferocity.

Shingen Hyuuga came to greet them in the courtyard.

Quivering with hostility, he bowed low to the Hokage, who kept him in his prone state longer than usual to show him her power.

Tsunade was without her pride. She never forgot that Shingen Hyuuga had been the lone dissenting voice when all the Konoha clans had voted upon her ascension to the Hokage position eight years ago.

All because she was a woman.

But today, she brought her strongest pieces: men who had distinguished themselves in the war and who were directly under her command. These were men who showed respect to her not only as Hokage but as the direct descendant of Hashirama Senju.

It was a blatant display of force to show Shingen that she tolerated no disrespect. The first Hokage, who had signed the blood oath that had given the Hyuugas power and prestige, was _her_ grandfather.

Shingen visibly paled, understanding the message.

Fugaku, Shikaku, and Sakumo were men that Shingen himself respected. Jiraiya had been _his_ choice to become Hokage after Hiruzen's death. That time, he'd made his opinion very clear.

But Tsunade was here now, demanding her due respect.

"You may raise your head," she said coolly.

He did so but he still simmered with humiliation. She barely nodded at him, again putting him in his place.

His sons came up behind him and her greeting for them was warm, in stark contrast to the chilly greeting she had for their father.

"Hiashi, Hizashi," she said, holding out her hand regally.

They came and grasped it, each one taking a turn to shake hers. They were both careful to hide their smiles from their father. Hizashi irreverently winked at her.

She raised a brow but didn't say anything. She then turned to Shingen and glared at him.

"You will not keep Hinata from school," Tsunade said.

Shingen stiffened in surprise then scowled at his sons. One of them had talked. He'd wanted to keep Hinata at home to toughen her up some more. She would be wasted at the Academy.

"She's a girl and needs more time to learn the jutsus and the techniques. She requires more time training at home," he said.

"No," Tsunade growled and managed to hold on to her temper. "Unacceptable!"

She felt Jiraiya coming up behind her to lend his support—or maybe to protect the aging Hyuuga clan head from her fists.

Jiraiya was shaking his head and making a face at Shingen.

"Bad move," the sage was murmuring under his breath. "Worst thing to say to Hime, here."

"Jiraiya!"

But she turned back to Hinata's grandfather. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you that you will be breaking the rules by keeping her caged in the Hyuuga compound. She is still a child of Konoha and she must be in the school for shinobi families."

His mouth quivering with distaste, Shingen admitted his defeat. "Yes, Tsunade-sama," he said, almost choking on the honorific.

She humphed then flashed him a look of contempt before she turned around and left the compound.

When they were all out of earshot from the Hyuugas, Jiraiya said to the men, "You know, it's nice being the novelty toy to be dangled around. We didn't even say anything but still managed to get the job done."

"Or _do_ anything," Fugaku said.

"We need to be frivolous once in a while," came Shikaku's sardonic voice.

"Are you hinting about my son, Shikaku?" Sakumo said drily, but he ended with a laugh. "Because I can't help but feel like you are."

All of the men laughed.

"Stop gossiping, all of you!" Tsunade grumbled with irritation, never losing her stride. "Get back to work!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Hinata was nervous, but she willed her hands to stop shaking. She was here in her assigned classroom at the Ninja Academy to learn and observe people. She knew she could do it. This was something her grandfather said needed to be done.

She looked at the children around her. Pretty much everyone was talking to each other as if they were already friends with one another. It made sense. Most of them came from clans who had connections to each other.

A few rows in front, a blond-haired boy sat talking animatedly to a dark-haired boy who looked bored. The dark-haired boy took out a shuriken and started polishing it with a small towel he'd take out of the pocket of his shirt.

"Sasuke!" the blond-haired boy yelled. "Why'd you bring that here?!"

She hid a smile. Some kids were more prepared for the Ninja Academy than others.

Suddenly, there was a doggy whine next to her and she glanced to her left.

"It's okay, Akamaru," said a boy with brown hair and eyes. He patted the dog resting on top of his head then slid his hood over the puppy more securely.

He'd introduced himself earlier as Kiba.

She looked to her right and smiled at her classmate named Shino.

Hinata liked the two boys who sat with her in the same row, each of them flanking her. She sensed that they were special. They were both kind to creatures who were weaker than them: the boy with the insects and the boy with the puppy perched on top of his head.

She watched as an insect buzzed around her and landed on her hand. She didn't panic, only gazed at it calmly.

"You're a good person," Shino suddenly said. "Why? Because you don't freak out around bugs."

"Really?" Hinata asked, pleased.

"Yes," Shino said. "Watch."

From his jacket, two small buzzing insects flew up into the air and headed for the pink-haired girl who sat a few rows in front of them. She swatted at the bug ferociously and let out an annoyed squeak. The blond-haired girl sitting next to her stood up and tried to duck as another insect tried to land on her shoulder. She squealed in disgust, which set off the rest of the girls around them as they all swatted frantically at the insects.

The pink-haired girl suddenly looked up at their row and glared at Shino. "You!" she yelled as she pointed. "You're an Aburame! Keep your insects to yourself!"

"You're not going to make friends like that, idiot!" Kiba said.

"I wasn't trying to make friends. I was trying to prove a point," came Shino's cool voice.

"You can call the bugs back, Shino. I think you've just proven your point," Hinata said with a smile. Another insect buzzed around her ear and landed on her shoulder, but unlike the other girls, she let it stay there and didn't swat at it.

"Good people," Shino mumbled again.

"Thank you," Hinata said, more gratified upon hearing his words than he could ever know.

 _Crunch, crunch_.

The sound came from the row above them, from an auburn-haired boy with his spiral clan-marking on his cheeks. He'd seen it all and was smiling at them with a friendly expression on his face.

"I'm Chouji Akamichi," he said as he took out a potato chip from a bag and popped it into his mouth.

"Nice to meet you," she said, but her eyes were drawn to the boy with dark hair held by a ponytail sitting next to him. He was staring at her, completely ignoring Chouji.

"You're a Nara," she said quietly.

Shikamaru's eyes were sharp. "I am, and _you're_ a Hyuuga."

"Yes. Are you Shikaku-sama's son?"

"That's right."

"Your father often comes to our place."

Shikamaru nodded. "Are you Neji's cousin?"

Hinata instantly became wary at the mention of her cousin's name. She shuttered her expression, and all traces of friendliness disappeared from her face. "Yes, he's my cousin."

Shikamaru's eyes glinted keenly. "He's a grade above us, but I hear he's a prodigy. I also heard _you're_ just as good."

"Neji's very talented," Hinata only said.

"Interesting," Shikamaru murmured. "You're not lying, but you don't deny the facts, either. So then that means you're already good enough _not_ to be at the academy."

Hinata remained quiet. She had to be careful. Shikamaru didn't seem like the type to talk openly about her family, but he was very suspicious.

 _Crunch, crunch_. There was the sudden sound of a plastic bag crinkling loudly, disrupting the tension between them.

She looked up again at Chouji, who shrugged. "I'm hungry," he said with a helpless smile at her.

Hinata smiled back in response.

"Chouji, you pain in the ass!" Shikamaru said with a laugh, the strain of the moment easing.

Shikamaru nodded at Hinata. She nodded back at him. He wasn't going to pry, then. This was good—for now. But he was smart and very observant. He also seemed to be curious about her. She made a mental note to watch herself around him.

He was also one to admire, if she were honest. So far, he was the first one who had mentioned anything about her family and had recognized the connection between her and Neji.

The door opened and their teacher walked in.

"Good morning everyone!" he said in a friendly tone. "I'm Iruka Umino. I'll be in charge of you guys for the next three years."

* * *

"You're Hinata Hyuuga," came the cheerful voice of the blond boy she'd seen earlier at the classroom. His blue eyes were smiling at her.

Hinata looked up from her book.

"Yes," she said as she closed it. "And you're Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, you remembered from the roll call this morning?"

She nodded. "Yes, I remember everyone's names."

He was impressed. "Really? That's pretty cool! I still have a couple kids whose names I haven't remembered yet, but I should get everyone's name by the end of tomorrow."

They looked at each other as she waited expectantly to see why he came to talk to her. He peered at her, wondering why anyone wanted to be away from so many friends. She was sitting all by herself on the bench at the edge of the school playgrounds.

"Why are you sitting by yourself?" he finally asked.

"I don't mind."

"You don't have any friends?"

She paused and tilted her head. "No, not really."

"Okay."

There was silence. Then, as if to make her feel better about her situation, Naruto suddenly said, "I have a demon inside of me."

She didn't know how to take this information, so she said, "Oh?"

"Yeah, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

He suddenly grunted and clutched at his stomach. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Kurama! It just slipped!" he said to nobody in particular.

She looked at him curiously. He smiled at her.

"Oh, Kurama said I'm not supposed to be saying anything about this out loud to anyone."

"Who's Kurama?"

But he didn't answer her question. He only jerked back as if being hit again.

"Sorry, I said! I really _am_ trying!" he said again, but he placed a hand on his stomach.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his face frowning fiercely. Then he opened his eyes and smiled at her again. "Forget anything I just said." His gaze became worried. "You won't tell anyone?"

"I won't."

"Okay." He smiled at her. "You have pretty eyes."

She was taken aback by the sudden change in conversation. "Thank you?"

There was a pleased expression on his face. "It's a compliment, see. Mikoto says I should say something nice to people as much as I can."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you again, but who's Mikoto?"

He sat down next to her and swung his legs back and forth on the bench. "She's my mother, but she's not _really_ my mother. Sasuke calls her Mother but she says I can call her Mikoto. But Mother, too, if I want to. But I like calling her Mikoto better. Only _I_ can do that."

"Sasuke Uchiha?"

He nodded then squinted his eyes as he scanned the crowd of children. He located him and pointed to the dark-haired boy who'd been sitting next to him earlier.

"Yep! He's my brother, but we're not really _blood_ brothers. Gentickly, we're not—"

" _Genetically_."

"Right. Genetically, we're not related, but I grew up with him and Itachi, who's really our older brother. _He's_ fourteen. Sasuke's only a couple _months_ older than me but he always acts like he's better than me. He's always ordering me around like he's the boss."

She didn't respond to that but she eventually said, "You know, you're very chatty."

"I _am_!" he admitted with a laugh. "I talk to everyone. Sasuke's quiet. But it's okay. We make it work."

"Hinata."

The girl and the boy turned their heads in the direction of where the voice came from. Her cousin came into view as he walked slowly toward them.

"Neji!" she said softly.

Naruto peered up into his eyes. He smiled at Neji. "Oh, you guys have the same eyes! Are you family?"

Neji nodded.

"You're here to pick her up. Cool."

Neji said nothing.

"Naruto!" they all suddenly heard. "Hurry up!"

He looked up and saw Sasuke waiting for him, holding on to the hand of a woman with long, brown hair.

Naruto brightened. "Mikoto's here!" he yelled happily. "See you guys."

He ran full gallop to Mikoto, who opened her arms and wrapped him in a hug. Then they all walked home, each boy holding on to one of her hands.

Neji and Hinata watched the family walk away. After a while, Hinata said, "He's friendly."

" _Too_ friendly," Neji responded.

Hinata remained silent.

_I have a demon inside me._

Then they, too, walked home.

* * *

At the academy, Hinata spent most of her time honing not her ninja skills, but brushing up on her social skills.

She was honest enough to admit that she found it difficult to adjust and get along with the other kids in her class. They all seemed...light and just unburdened.

She envied them. How could they do it, easily shrug it off? Didn't they feel the heavy weight of responsibility? Their duty to their clans?

Hinata sensed that she was just raised differently from everyone. She shuddered with relief, glad that there was only _one_ Shingen Hyuuga. She hated to think of more men like her grandfather running around Konoha perpetuating so much evil.

But she was a dutiful girl who loved her sister and admired her father. She would do whatever was asked of her, and she took her studies at the Ninja Academy just as seriously as her special lessons at home.

Hinata did her best to learn about what being a girl was like in a shinobi world. She observed the ways the other girls of her class behaved and noted how different they were from herself. Most of them chatted cheerfully and were free with their emotions. When something made them happy, they laughed and smiled. When something made them angry, they scolded the boys—who were usually the cause of their wrath. When something made them sad, they were usually crying over each other's shoulders.

Of course, Hinata felt the same emotions, but what she observed the most was that the other girls were more open and honest about how they acted to things happening around them. They never failed to react quickly and unguardedly.

Hinata's quiet nature made her more naturally slow to react. She preferred instead to act calmly and not be bothered by most things that she had no control over. Even at a young age, she felt that mastering control of her own emotions was a way for her to survive the path she'd been chosen to perform.

Control. Over herself. That's all that mattered. No matter the situation, she needed to be the master of her emotions.

Something suddenly smacked into her. Something bright and orange—and loud.

"Oh! Sorry, Hinata!" Naruto said when he stumbled at her back.

Before she could fall, however, she pivoted instead, letting his forward momentum propel her movements. Quick steps, right, left, right and she swayed to keep her balance, letting her center of gravity guide her.

He, meanwhile, landed on the ground with a loud thud.

She looked down and reached to help him up. "Are you okay, Naruto?"

He laughed up at her. "Yep, just my pride's hurt."

"What were you doing?"

"I was just practicing for tomorrow's taijutsu exam."

"Okay. Did it work?" she asked.

"Nope!" came the cheerful reply.

She was about to say more, but she felt eyes boring into her back. She glanced behind her and saw a boy approaching them.

Oh, no. Shikamaru had seen her. She was supposed to be just average in her skills.

Sure enough, he strolled up to her. He was looking at her speculatively. "That was some move, Hinata," he said. "You just kind of used his force to help your movements."

"No, it's just footwork I've been practicing. It's part of the Hyuuga clan's techniques," Hinata said. That was true enough.

Shikamaru raised a brow, but after a few tense beats, he nodded. "Sure. That sounds about right."

She didn't add anything else. Nothing she could say would ever allay his suspicions of her. But he wasn't rude enough to pry deeply into her life.

"But you're holding back at school if you can do something like that," he said. "I wonder why, though?"

Hinata bowed at him and said nothing. Instead, she suddenly walked away from the two boys.

"Bye, Hinata!" Naruto called after her.

She glanced back, waved briefly, but didn't stop walking.

* * *

It wasn't the actual _sight_ of the cadaver that got to her.

It was the smell.

It reminded her of that time she'd found a litter of kittens when she'd been four. She'd wandered into the storeroom hoping to swipe one of the tea snacks that she loved so much. When Natsu hadn't been looking, she'd slipped into the room and rummaged through the boxes.

A sound from one of the shelves had grabbed her attention. Hinata had walked over to find the mother cat that had just given birth to three kittens, but the smallest one had struggled to live, mewling and protesting.

Hinata had tried saving the runt, petting it, and trying to give it life through the warmth of her hand. She'd come back to check on it the next day, only to find it dead and rotting, a victim of the summer heat.

The smell had filled the storage room. It had smelled fetid and rank, like garbage left out too long in the drying sun.

She'd tried to hide the kitten, but Natsu had found her and had shrieked with disgust. "Hinata! Get away from that thing!"

She'd look at that pitiful little body and Hinata had felt her heart break for the helpless kitten. Natsu had chased her away even when she'd wanted to give the kitten a proper burial. Hinata had begged and pleaded, wanting so much to honor the little, but brief, life that the kitten had.

But Natsu had been firm and had thrown the body away into the river.

Today, though, the smell of the human corpse was amplified. The smell of that dead little kitten corpse couldn't compare to the smell of a fully rotting human body.

Here she was, with Neji and the rest of her cousins on their first day of assassin training from Shingen Hyuuga. Hinata was glad she was not the only one weakened by the pungent smell permeating the room. The rest of the other children were wiping tears from their eyes, clutching at their stomachs, and pressing a hand to their mouths.

But it had to be done. They had to practice on human flesh. Plus, her grandfather was relentless.

When they'd stopped puking, the older man smacked them on the head painfully with his cane.

"We kill. We deal in death. Get used to it," was all he said.

Hinata wondered if she would ever become as desensitized and as hard as her grandfather. She hoped not. But her heart sank slowly as realization dawned. Already, she was getting used to the smell of the body in front of her, eyeing it with detachment as the idea of it being a person dissolved from her mind.

Even now, the odor of rotting flesh was not as bad as it had been thirty minutes before. But nobody took the body out of the training room. It remained covered under a white sheet.

Apparently, Grandfather wanted the rotting corpse to serve as a reminder while they all worked.

Meanwhile, fresh bodies were rolled into the room, still covered by sheets.

One per student.

Hinata knew that these were different from that first corpse, judging from the size. These were normal, adult-sized bodies, still plump with recent life, not shrunken like the one lying at the far end of the room.

"Let's begin!" Shingen barked as he walked directly to Hinata. With a vicious jerk of his hand, he whipped the sheet off the body before her, revealing a headless cadaver. He smiled icily then pointed to the body's left breast. "Hinata, push here to cut the heart valves."

She stepped closer and did what she was told.

It's just training. It's nothing, she thought. Just do it. Do what he tells you.

You _chose_ this.

This is for Hanabi, she told herself. Remember your sister.

 _Control_.

Yes, she could do it.

She only flinched a little with surprise when she discovered that the corpse felt warm as she placed her shaking hands over the area where her grandfather had pointed.

But then her control over her mind momentarily slipped as the meaning of the warm body clicked.

It was newly acquired, then. Fresh.

 _Fresh_.

No, don't think about that!

But Shingen was barking more orders. "What the hell are you all waiting for? Cut the veins!"

Hinata activated her byakugan, stilled the quick burst of panic as she pushed, then felt the force of her needle-like chakra penetrate warm human flesh. She worked while she desperately emptied her mind; she didn't want to think about _how_ they'd gotten this headless body for her—and how there was enough for everyone else in the room.

Argh! her mind screamed, resisting, but she was still following her grandfather's instructions, her chakra slicing through tissue. She thought she'd heard the juicy squelch of a knife against flesh, but no, chakra didn't work like that.

It was impossible.

Don't think! she desperately reminded herself again.

But her senses were being assaulted. She was being overwhelmed by everything in the room, what she was doing. Her byakugan seeking sensitive veins, the smell of death all around her, the warmth of human flesh under her hands, the cold creep of ice at the back of her neck, the bile that threatened to gurgle upward her throat, the cold voice of her grandfather telling everyone where to pierce and where to cut.

She felt herself coming apart, but she grimly hung on. She was battling for control, remembering why she had to do this, why it had to be _her_.

_Don't feel! Don't feel! Don't feel!_

And then Hinata suddenly felt the nothingness engulf her as she managed to kill all her emotions.

When they left the room and were outside again, Hinata breathed in the life-giving energy of fresh air. She inhaled it hungrily, trying to erase the memory, the stench of that rotting cadaver.

But no matter how much she tried, from then on, the smell of death permeated and never left her completely.

* * *

As she attended the Ninja Academy, Hinata learned to split her time between home and school. At school, she was the quiet, unsuspecting girl that everyone kind of ignored. She honed her ability to control her chakra, to mute it enough to allow her to fade into the background. This ability served her well as it gave her the skill to blend in and observe others freely without calling attention to herself.

Her grandfather had even praised her for it.

At home, this ability helped her complete her training for assassination work. She was quiet, stealthy, and efficient. Her chakra was so muted that she caught many by surprise whenever she felt like practicing it on her non-shinobi relatives. They all treated it as a joke, but Hinata liked that she could easily sneak up on people.

She, Neji, and the rest of her cousins continued to learn more about the human body, the ways to snuff out a life. She learned to identify which veins controlled what function of the human body, to aim precisely at chakra points to blind, to make a death look like a heart attack, a stroke, and to cut off breathing completely.

Always, they were locked away in a room filled with cadavers. Always, no heads, no identifying faces to remind these future assassins that these bodies had once been human beings.

No, they were nothing but objects and tools used for training.

Hinata committed everything to memory, even her grandfather's words. Though he was still just as strict as he'd been before, he seemed to grudgingly respect Hinata as she continued to learn the lessons Shingen taught them. She learned and followed his instructions with stoic, unflinching obedience.

At the same time, she steadily improved upon her taijutsu, enough so that she was given the responsibility of training some of the younger Hyuugas who were now able to learn the clan's Juuken. She was glad because it gave her more time with her sister, who remained the one selfishly pure thing in Hinata's life.

She surprised everyone, especially her father.

He hadn't come out directly to say anything to her, but she could feel his eyes on her all the time. He seemed to be probing, trying to gauge her innermost thoughts, but Hyuugas were never open and honest with each other, so most of their conversations ended up with both of them gazing quietly at each other.

"I hope you're well, Hinata," he said.

"I am, Father," she responded.

"Onee-sama!" came Hanabi's cheerful cry and both Hinata and her father turned around to see her younger sister skipping towards them in her dark training leotard. She was beaming, excited to start her practice with her sister today.

Hinata smiled at her. Hiashi nodded to himself as he saw the expression on her face. It reassured him somewhat. He ached knowing what she was going through because he'd gone through the same training with Shingen. At the same time, she needed the toughness required to perform assassinations, but he worried about the future effects it would have on her.

But if Hinata could continue to smile lovingly at her sister in that way, then she would be okay.

At least, that's what Hiashi would continue to pray.

* * *

Neji graduated from the Academy when Hinata was in her third year. She continued to excel at being ordinary at school and being skillful at home, but things changed a little bit when they were no longer together at the Academy.

Hinata, however, learned to live with it and used it as a way to get stronger. After all, when she would finally begin working as an assassin, she would be required to work solo.

Privately, she admitted to herself that she missed her cousin's presence at school. Even surrounded by so many people her age, she felt lonely because the one person who understood exactly what she was going through was no longer by her side.

Outwardly, she showed her breeding and admitted no weakness to her classmates or even her own relatives. She was part of the Hyuuga clan, a closed-mouthed family that didn't air their problems in public. They remained aloof no matter what happened.

Neji, however, was different. Maybe it had something to do with Hizashi being friendlier and kinder than anyone else in the Hyuuga compound. Despite going off on his own genin missions with his new team, he was still looking out for his cousin.

They still had a pact. They swore to do this together. Nothing would ever change that. Whenever he could, he would always try to meet her at the gates when school let out even though she'd told him that it was unnecessary.

Still, it became something that he always did because he knew that those days would be fleeting, that it was a way to preserve their innocence somewhat.

* * *

Everyone was at the training grounds loitering about even though school was officially done. They'd all been dismissed, but the students were talking excitedly among themselves, still not ready to go home.

Hinata found herself roped into the group of girls even though she didn't really know why they kept including her in these gatherings. Today, Neji had said he would make it back in time from his mission so that they could walk home together just like they'd always done. She'd been waiting for him quietly but the girls had walked up to her casually and had started a conversation.

"What about the Ino-Shika-Cho Formation?" Sakura was asking Ino. "Isn't that legendary?"

"Oh, _that_!" Ino said with a laugh. "We're getting training from our fathers outside of school, usually on weekends and holidays. Tsunade-sama didn't think we should be using time at the academy and as team-members to learn something that we were supposed to learn from a young age."

Sakura nodded.

"You know her," Ino continued. "Tsunade-sama wants everyone to be efficient and to learn everything we need to know, to be as well-rounded as possible."

"Yeah," Sakura said, flexing her fingers. She'd just gotten back from the special medical lessons that Tsunade was teaching. "She sure does take a lot of interest in all of us."

Hinata smiled inwardly. A few weeks ago, the Hokage had burst into the classroom with an announcement that all members of the class were to get extra lessons on medical ninjutsu. It was a requirement and none of the children had voiced any disagreement as they'd seen their Hokage glaring at them with such an evil look on her face.

"Learning even just the basics will help save a life," she'd said in a tone that didn't invite any protests.

Hinata suddenly found herself the focus of two pairs of green eyes when she heard the silence. Ino and Sakura had stopped talking and were now smiling at her.

She was puzzled. "Yes?" she asked the two girls.

"Hinata!" Ino laughed. "You're so clueless! We're including you in the conversation. You're supposed to join us and contribute something else."

"Oh," she said. What had they been talking about? Right, something about being well-rounded. "Um...well-rounded...I'd like to use swords someday. It would be nice to add an extra weapon to my arsenal. This way, I won't have to rely on physical skills all the time. If I can use a sword to do damage, it might help in the future."

"Oh, god!" Sakura said with a chuckle. "Hinata! You're so blood-thirsty sometimes, but I envy your focus."

"Well-rounded, _socially_ , too, don't forget," Ino said, her smile gentle. "You should join us and the rest of our friends when we go grab something to eat sometime, Hinata. You're always invited, so tag along anytime, okay? We don't always say it out loud, but you're part of our group so join us even if we don't always offer a verbal invitation."

"Thank you, Ino," Hinata said softly and with a quick smile.

"Yes!" Sakura said with a playful tap on Hinata's arm. "Join us! We only ever see you at school. Why not hang out with us at the park or when we go to each other's houses? You should come out with the rest of us, Hinata. We can all grab something at the zenzai place. They have really good dango and stuff."

"Okay, maybe one of these days?" Hinata automatically responded. She didn't particularly want to go.

"Yup!" Sakura said with a friendly smile.

Hinata just then saw Neji at the Academy gates and nodded at the two girls. "I have to go."

"See you tomorrow, Hinata," Sakura called out. Hinata waved back and slowly made her way towards her cousin.

Shikamaru watched her leave as he approached Sakura and Ino. A classmate was complaining loudly beside him.

"Are you really supposed to be brainy, Shikamaru? My grades were better than yours, but everyone's saying you're a master tactician," Naruto was saying.

Shikamaru ignored him for a minute as his watchful eyes took in Hinata's quiet presence next to her equally quiet cousin. They were now walking through the gate.

"Those two never mingle with anyone, do they?" he asked Ino and Sakura.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked in surprise, following everyone's eyes towards the cousins.

"Yes," Ino said after a pause. "They always hold back. They're never really overtly cold, but they don't go out of their way to be friendly with anyone, either."

"They're so mysterious," Sakura said.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "Don't you get the feeling that they're hiding something?"

Ino was quiet. Out of all her classmates, she knew for sure that the Hyuuga cousins were hiding some secret. She sensed it, of course. Her family's jutsu allowed her to sense the psychological toll that Neji and Hinata were feeling. But she didn't want to mention anything to the others because it was a private matter among the Hyuuga clan.

"Maybe," was all Ino said.

Naruto watched the two Hyuugas leave through the gates. "She's so quiet, though. But her eyes are really pretty. I've always thought so."

Ino and Sakura looked at each other. "What about ours?" Sakura asked with a pout.

He glanced at them and smiled. "Of course! You and Ino have _beautiful_ green eyes."

Ino and Sakura both squealed with delight.

Shikamaru snorted. "Okay, Romeo, stuff it. You want to know why people say I'm brainy? It's because you haven't been able to beat me at shogi, yet."

"Argh! I knew it! But I've gotten close, though!"

"Yeah," Shikamaru said with a grin. "But you just don't know how to sacrifice your pieces at the _right_ times. You always want to hoard them and keep them safe."

"But I don't like losing the important ones!"

"That's the problem, Naruto! You think they're _all_ important! Some pieces can be thrown away. You just have to use them correctly."

"Okay, okay. I'll think more on my strategy then."

"I hope so. Make sure that you do because if you're going to be working together with your genin team for the next two years, it's going to matter. And when we all become shinobi in the future, we're all going to have to watch each other's backs."

"Gotcha!" Naruto said.

Shikamaru punched him lightly on the arm. "You know, you only got better grades than me because I don't really want to try that hard at school. I can't be bothered to study or pay attention. It's such a pain in the ass."

* * *

"Did you give it a try?" she asked him as they walked home.

She'd told Neji about finding that technique for muting chakra in the Hyuuga records when he'd noticed her ability to hide herself.

"Yes, so if you just take a deep breath and find your inner eye," she'd explained. "Travel through the veins and get inside yourself, first the heart, then the brain, and just continue breathing and make your blood flow sluggish."

He'd done it a couple of times but it unsettled him, this technique she'd found secreted in the books of the Hyuuga library a few years ago. There had to be a reason why it had been buried underneath all the books.

"After that, you just maintain it throughout. It keeps your chakra levels from showing and you can protect yourself."

Neji tried it. It was easy enough to do but he found _maintaining_ it required too much concentration.

What he especially didn't like was the feeling of numbness that pervaded his body. He didn't like that he didn't feel cold or hot, just a state of nothingness. It just felt too _inhuman,_ unpleasant. He marveled that Hinata would willingly want to do this.

"You think it's hard?" she asked, puzzled. "But it's good, though. I like it. I can ignore everything else."

Because it was so much easier to control it and not feel pain, or disappointment, or shame.

But Neji didn't like ignoring everything else. Unlike her, Neji liked feeling warm in his cotton shirts, liked the rough texture of the paper underneath his calligraphy brushes, liked feeling the weaving of the straw of the tatami mats underneath his feet.

Hinata just shrugged. "I don't know. It feels easier if I just don't feel anything else."


	9. Genin

**Chapter 9: Genin**

Hinata gave Hanabi one more hug, making her younger sister squeal. "Onee-chan!" she said with a protest, but to Hinata, it sounded more like she wanted more hugs.

So she gave in to her urge and squeezed again. This time, Hanabi giggled and squeezed her back. Hinata planted a kiss on top of her sister's head, noting that Hanabi was taller now. So Hanabi was eight, while she was twelve. The days of being a student were coming to a close.

She sighed. Tomorrow, Hinata was graduating from the Academy after having passed the genin exams, and she dreaded it more than she wanted to admit. She was going to finally step out into this world that she'd resolved to enter, all because of this bundle of sweetness in her arms.

Hanabi was sighing into her chest, not wanting to let go even though she stank of sweat. They'd just finished practicing their taijutsu drills together and it was time for dinner.

Hinata laughed quietly. "You stink, Hanabi. Time for a bath."

"Okay!" Hanabi squeaked happily as she held her sister's hand while they walked inside the house.

Yes, tomorrow, her world was going to change, but Hinata knew that nothing would erase her resolve to protect her sister from succumbing to the Hyuuga fate.

* * *

That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Hinata had snuck into Neji's room to try to talk to her cousin. He was sitting on the bed, a book propped up in his lap. He looked up when she entered the room.

She walked over to the window, and without looking at him, said, "What's your team like, Neji?"

She missed the slight grimace that formed on her cousin's face.

When the silence stretched for ten minutes, Hinata finally turned around from the window. She frowned when she finally saw the expression on his face. "Is there a problem with them? Are they _that_ bad?!"

Neji laughed. "They're kind of hard to explain."

"Try anyway."

He thought hard for a moment then began, "Well, Rock Lee is very kind, I think, and earnest. He's always so positive, it makes me wonder if we're living in the same world. Tenten is really smart and really skilled. She's had lots of training with weapons, so if there's anything I need to know about a blade, spear, or shield, she's the first person I would ask."

Then Neji's brows knit in concentration, trying to find the right words for his captain. "But Gai-sensei…"

Hinata waited, curious to hear what Neji would say. His tone as he said his captain's name was not encouraging. Neji was deeply puzzled about the man.

"He's joyful, Hinata," Neji finally said. There was a smile on his face.

" _Joyful?!_ "

"Yes," he said with a bigger smile. There was also more conviction in his voice, as if he'd made a sudden decision. "I like him a lot. He's always happy and always encouraging. He's different from all the men we've known, especially from the men of our family. Gai-sensei is just so happy about life and always wants the best for us. He always seems to be spreading light to the people he meets, making everyone laugh and smile. He's very wise, too, and very enthusiastic. I think I can learn a lot from him."

Hinata was perplexed, seeing this different Neji and the influence of his captain on him. She was frowning. It was strange to hear her cousin speak so enthusiastically about anyone, and yet here he was, actually _beaming_ at her.

"I think Gai-sensei will be a good influence on me," Neji said with a nod.

Hinata gazed at him, hoping in her heart that that was truly the case. She was going to be happy for Neji.

"I feel a lot lighter than I did when I first graduated from the Academy. I think I will be happy before I begin my solo missions," he added meaningfully.

Hinata nodded, finally understanding. "Okay. Thanks for telling me Neji. I hope when I get my captain, I'll feel the same way about them the way you do about Gai-sensei."

* * *

Yuuhi Kurenai stared at the back of the Hokage's chair and waited patiently for her to say something.

"Kurenai."

She didn't know whether to respond or not because she was still looking at the back of the chair. Instead, she gazed at the three photos on top of the desk. These three were going to be her new genin team for the next two years.

"Yuuhi," Tsudnade said after she swung her chair around to finally face her. "Hinata's one of _those_ Hyuugas."

Kurenai jerked in surprise. This gentle-looking creature was one of those assassins? What the hell was her family thinking?

Part of her was impressed, while the other parts were equal horror and sympathy for the poor girl.

Still, Kurenai held her silence. She sensed that Tsunade was thinking about how much information to give her. Instinctively, she knew that Hinata Hyuuga was one of the deep secrets that Konoha held.

Tsunade's eyes held hers as she said, "To be honest, Hinata doesn't really need any further instructions from you when it comes to taijutsu and other shinobi skills."

Yuuhi nodded.

"I know her official records state that she's middle of the pack, but she's much better than what's on file. It's only because that's what she's instructed to become."

Tsunade leaned back against her chair and rubbed her temples. "You know that these Hyuugas are already good enough for ANBU, but they're not allowed to stand out. You're going to have to find a way to make sure she's doing a good job, but not too good a job that people will notice."

Yuuhi snorted before she could stop herself. She flashed an apologetic smile at the Hokage before she said, "Which is a lot harder than it sounds. I'm amazed this girl could do it."

Tsunade waved it away. "She's one of the best shinobi we have, especially for her age." She pointed to the two boys that comprised their team. "These two kids will be good partners for her. I think all three can work together smoothly."

"That should make my job easy, then," Kurenai said with a smile.

"There's more," Tsunade continued. "I put you as her captain to see if you can help her deal with anything that might come up regarding her mental health."

"Ah."

This time, Tsunade sighed. "Hinata's a special case. Normally, I wouldn't expect you to do this, but because she's lost her mother at such a young age, I worry so much about her psychological state. Added to that, all the business of being an assassin."

Yuuhi glanced once more at the angelic face on the table. Poor girl. So much to carry already at such a young age.

Tsunade was looking at her, an expression of regret on her face. "To put it bluntly, Yuuhi, she needs a mother. I don't even really know if she recognizes it herself, but could you help her out? Make sure you keep an eye out for her and that she doesn't descend into her own personal pit of hell."

Kurenai drew in a harsh breath. "That's a tough order, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's smile was brief. "I know, and that's why I asked _you_ to do it. You're the only one who can help her."

"So you want me to mother her?" Kurenai asked dubiously. She didn't know if she had the skills to do such a thing. She was shinobi and babysitting a girl with mommy issues wasn't a thing she particularly liked to do.

"She's a wonderful girl, very sweet at her core, but she's been asked to do so much that I worry for her. I can't interfere in her case too much because it's an ancient Hyuuga clan matter that requires serious study just to untangle, let alone change. Plus, she's got that ogre of a grandfather to deal with."

"Right. _Him_." Kurenai's nose twitched with distaste. She nodded. "Yes, I'll do it, of course, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you, Yuuhi. We have to do what we can for her."

* * *

Hinata waited patiently as the names were called out. Today, they'd just been given their team formations for the next two years. Their jonin captains had come, introduced themselves briefly and then had left. The real work would start the following day.

Now, everyone was squealing and laughing to find out that they were together, or crying when they were apart.

Hinata looked at the teams and realized that the one thing they had in common was balance. When Tsunade-sama had created her teams, she made sure that fighting styles and attacking techniques meshed.

Her own team consisted of her, with her taijutsu and visual prowess, Shino's long range attacks, and Choji's brute strength.

The two boys walked towards her and all three shared a smile. Already, there was a sense of camaraderie among them. Slowly, the worry faded in her heart. She would be fine. They were capable shinobi, and more importantly, they were kind.

She could do with a little bit of kindness in her life. With Neji busy and going off on his own missions, she hardly saw him at home nowadays.

Besides, it would be different, working as a team. At the Academy, it was easy enough to learn the lessons and to execute them in controlled situations. Working with Shino and Choji meant she had to always keep them in the back of her mind whenever they went on group missions.

She sighed inwardly. Teamwork. One more important lesson to take in. Every action carried unintended consequences that could lead to injury or even death for her partners.

* * *

Kurenai took one look at Hinata and understood what Tsunade meant. The girl was quiet, for sure, but she could be persuaded to smile once in a while by the ever-cheerful Chouji Akamichi.

Tsunade's choice of teammates for Hinata made sense. Chouji was jolly and loyal and he could keep secrets if anything happened to be revealed. Shino, meanwhile, was just as quiet as Hinata, maybe even more so. What Shino had was a steady, reassuring presence that was undemanding. He would never force Hinata to do anything she didn't want to do. What he lacked in cheerfulness, he more than made up for in his stoic acceptance of everything.

Kurenai liked all three of them, and she liked them more for the way they took care of each other. As Tsunade said, there was no need to tutor Hinata in shinobi skills. She more than matched her teammates in work ethic and the transition from students to genin shinobi had been flawless. The three managed to read each other quite well, each one sensitive to each other's feelings and understood each other's qualities.

During their missions, there was an easiness to the way they all worked with each other. They worked together without much speaking, able to read and anticipate what the other was thinking. Chouji was the strength, pounding and battering where Hinata directed after a scan with her byakugan. Shino was the lead and rear guard at the same time with his army of insects under control. He ran defense most of the time while Hinata and Chouji attacked.

Kurenai did her best to serve as a mother figure for Hinata, but the girl remained closed to her overtures of friendliness. Hinata would only look at her with a puzzled expression and it worried Kurenai more than she would admit.

From what she could observe, Hinata seemed determined to live without much interactions with people who were not directly in her sphere. It was hard for her to open up to people she didn't think were necessary for her life.

She was friendly enough with her team and with her captain, but Kurenai could confidently say they were _not_ close. The only one who seemed to be able to get a genuine response from Hinata was her younger sister and her older cousin.

Neji, Kurenai could see, was blossoming under Gai's easy tutelage. It also helped that Lee and Tenten were friendly and vivacious. Neji seemed… a little bit softer around the edges than Hinata.

Hinata tended to keep her feelings and her true emotions too deeply hidden. She only hoped that around her family, she was a little bit looser and freer to feel emotions.

Approaching Hiashi Hyuuga to talk about his daughter seemed a little bit presumptuous. In fact, Hinata seemed to show a lot of respect for her father. Just the thought of speaking with Shingen Hyuuga, though, filled her with distaste. Kurenai didn't want to make it worse for Hinata if she said something to upset the old man. She didn't like the old man for his outdated and impossibly misogynistic take on being a kunoichi.

But she continued to watch Hinata and look out for her as much as she could—apart, and never close enough to breach the younger girl's defenses.

* * *

"Chouji, now!" Kurenai yelled. "Back them up!"

Chouji activated the Akimichi clan technique and swept the falling rocks away with hands the size of horses. Hinata, meanwhile, sprinted forward, dragging a man behind her. Shino's bugs had lightened the weight as they offered her support, so she didn't need to strain too much as she ran straight for them. Still, though, when she got to them, she was panting.

Quickly, all three worked to tie the unconscious man to the makeshift stretcher.

"Okay, Shino," Kurenai spoke into her mouthpiece as she stood up. "Make sure nobody prevents our retreat and get to the rendezvous point when you're done here."

"Roger that," came his reply.

Kunais flew in their direction, but Kurenai swatted them away with her own as she covered Hinata and Choji, who shared the load of the man.

"Go!" she yelled at her team as she stayed behind to trap their pursuers into a genjutsu. She counted ten men wearing shinobi forehead protectors—exactly as Hinata and Shino had reported. That was all of them then. When she had them into her sight, she whirled in a quick blur and immobilized them all with her illusion.

She caught up with her genins a few kilometers ahead. They ran as fast as they could, with Kurenai occasionally looking behind to make sure they weren't being followed.

When they got to the rendezvous point, Shino was already there, but Kurenai spoke sharply. "Hinata?"

"It's the real Shino. I already checked."

Rescue and extraction mission completed.

* * *

When they got to Konoha, Kurenai decided to have dinner together after reporting to the Hokage.

"Now, remember, we split the bill evenly," Kurenai said with amusement as she glanced at Chouji, who pouted back at her. "I refuse to pay for your meals. If you're hungry, that's all on you. You guys are earning a paycheck and getting paid."

Hinata flashed a brief smile at the joke. She wanted to go straight home, but Kurenai insisted on these things for 'team bonding,' as she called it.

Ichiraku was their destination and Hinata was fine with it. She was fine with everything, really. What she liked the most was the banter between Kurenai and Chouji as she ate her ramen next to Shino. He was just as quiet as she was, but he would often comment with things that made her smile.

Hinata continued eating quietly, steadily working on her noodles as she watched Kurenai-sensei. Even as her missions with her teammates were going smoothly, she struggled to name her relationship with her captain.

Frankly, older women were a mystery for her. She just didn't know how to act properly around them. The only other woman who had played a prominent part in her life was Tsunade, and even _her_ visits at home were short, or brief when they'd been at school. But she was Hokage, and if Hinata showed respect and deference, she knew she could never make a mistake. She knew exactly what to do around Tsunade-sama.

Working with her captain was a little bit strange because Kurenai seemed to add a little bit _more_ when she gave instructions. Orders, mission directives, Hinata could follow, but the _more_ part was puzzling.

Kurenai would often smile at her and offer her advice that she never asked for. She would also ask about her home life and Hinata would be forced to answer her coolly in short phrases. Home was a private affair she was just unwilling to share. If her captain was really _that_ curious, she could make an appointment with her grandfather or her father and meet with them directly.

Though Hinata wasn't much of a toucher, Kurenai would often reach out and pat her on the head or ruffle the bangs on her forehead.

Oh, wait.

Hinata's face furrowed into a frown as she realized something.

Was it mothering? Affection? Is that what Kurenai-sensei was trying to do then?

She sighed. That might explain it.

She'd forgotten what it was like to be around mother-figures.

Up to this point, Natsu had been her only female companion. But she didn't really count because she was only older by a few years. She was more like an older sister, a cousin more than a mother.

Hinata suddenly felt hollow and her enjoyment of the ramen she'd been eating left her. She sighed inwardly.

"Hinata," Kurenai was saying. "Are you done with your ramen?"

She nodded and looked up into her captain's scarlet eyes. She summoned a smile.

"Yes, so I think I'll go home now."

"We'll go with you for a little bit—"

Hinata shook her head as she stood up. "No, thank you. I'll be fine by myself." She paid for her ramen and quickly left.

She missed the way Kurenai's eyes dimmed with sadness. Or the look that Shino and Chouji shared.

"Do you want us to follow her and make sure she gets home safely?" Chouji asked.

Yuuhi smiled at them. "No, she'll resent you guys if she catches you doing that."

She laughed. "But that is very sweet of you boys to offer."

* * *

Hinata walked home alone and tried to think of her mother.

They were hazy memories. It was hard to remember her now.

Actually, if she were honest, she didn't like to remember her life when she'd had a mother.

But there was something she could call up that didn't hurt _too_ much.

The only clear memory she had was the last happy one with the three, no _four_ , of them, when her mother had been pregnant. She and Hanabi would lean their heads on their mother's stomach and listen to the baby's heartbeat. Her hands, Hanabi's hands, and their mother's hands were all piled on top of each other as they debated possible names for their brother.

"Hikari is a good name," Hinata had said.

"No! Hotaru!" insisted Hanabi.

"Hanabi, we can't name the baby after a bug!"

"Hotaru!" she said again with a furious shake of her head.

"Ugh, Hanabi! That's terrible." Hinata smiled, trying to make her younger sister see reason. "He's going to get teased for being named _Firefly_."

"No, it's a good name."

Their mother only laughed, making her tummy rumble. Hinata looked up and smiled into her kind eyes.

"I think they are both fine names, girls," her mother had said. "Why don't we wait? How about we decide what his name is when we see his face?"

But Hinata and Hanabi had never seen their baby brother's face, never been able to decide whether he was Hikari or Hotaru.

Neither had their mother.

The little grave next to their mother's had remained nameless. Only the words 'Baby Hyuuga' were carved onto the stone.

She had been six years old then. Hinata hadn't been able to do anything to save them. She'd felt impotent and powerless as she stood in front of their graves. Hanabi's hand was in hers while her father stood silently beside his daughters.

Hinata had looked up and seen him wipe away a tear.

Death cut deep.

This one moment in her life changed everything. Hinata realized she was not going to succumb. It stopped the tears that were flowing down her cheeks.

No more weakness. She was going to be strong.

It had fueled her desire to protect her little sister. Hanabi, who had constantly asked for their mother because at the age of two, her young mind couldn't comprehend the meaning of death. But Hinata had been there to help her, to make her understand that Mother was never coming back.

They would often cling to each other at night in the bed that they shared. Their father had relented and allowed them to be together the days right after the funeral. Normally, they both had their own rooms to sleep in, but Hanabi had such a difficult time and only Hinata could comfort her.

After Hanabi had cried herself to sleep, Hinata would murmur soothingly to her, refusing to give in to _her_ urge to cry because somebody had to be strong.

Even her father had shown signs of weakness. Even though he was only in his late thirties, his dark hair had suddenly started showing streaks of gray the weeks after her death. The stress from the loss of his wife had shown itself in his hair, and in the silent wistful look he would often bestow on Hinata when he gazed at her face.

She looked like her mother, she knew. People often told her that, but she hardly remembered her face because the photos of her had been taken down from the walls. Apparently, she had her mother's pointed chin and cheekbones.

On one particular night, her father had suddenly said, "Smile for me, Hinata."

Even though she didn't want to, she did it anyway and flashed him a smile, stretching her lips as cheerfully as she could. Though deep in her heart, cheer was sadly lacking.

Hiashi took a long drink from his sake and nodded. "Thank you, Hinata."

Then he slumped into his arms that were laid on the table and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

Hinata had looked at the calendar and realized that it was her mother's birthday.

* * *

Hinata was entering the last year of her genin probationary period. Kurenai continued to mentor her, trying to soften her harder edges. If she could convince Hinata to smile once in a while or to remind her to be friendly to other people, she felt that she was successful. The girl just needed more polishing with her social skills. That was it.

She'd given up trying to mother her because Hinata just couldn't be made to understand that a girl needed a mother in her life. She was stubbornly refusing help from others, taking on everything by herself. She continued to rebuff Kurenai's efforts to be closer.

Hinata was still puzzled every time Kurenai tried to hug the younger girl. "I'm fine," she would say, holding up her arms to keep her captain away. Sometimes, though, she would suffer through a one-armed hug.

She never ever had questions about being a girl, particularly about changes in her body.

"What's the point of asking you, Kurenai-sensei? There are lots of books in the Hyuuga library with all the information I need. It's enough. But thank you, though. I appreciate your interest in me," Hinata said politely.

Asuma had given her flowers for their anniversary and in the middle of talking about it to Hinata, the younger girl had interrupted and said, "Romantic? Why is giving a gift romantic?"

Kurenai had gone on to explain that getting the flowers from Asuma was to celebrate their year of dating, to celebrate their love.

Hinata had shrugged and she could see that she found that particular romantic gesture from Asuma pointless.

Tsunade commiserated. "You _tried_ , Yuuhi. That's all that matters."

"I wish I could have done more, but Hinata doesn't want to let me in, and I can't force that relationship on her if she doesn't want to, Hokage-sama," Kurenai was honest enough to admit. Her eyes were shadowed with guilt.

"Yes, I know." Tsunade's eyes were understanding. "Do you sense any cracks?"

Here, Kurenai sighed with relief. "Despite the training under her grandfather, Hinata seems relatively normal. She's been a true shinobi, doing her duty to the best of her abilities. She's calm and I think it's the influence of her cousin. _He's_ a little bit better at managing his emotions."

Tsunade smiled. "Yes, I think Gai's influence is strong there."

"Thank god," Kurenai murmured. "At least there's somebody in the Hyuuga clan being honest and in touch with their feelings."

* * *

It was time.

Neji's probationary period was ending, which meant Hyuuga clan rules allowed him to perform his assassination duties on his own. Rank of chuunin and jonin hardly mattered for the work they had to do. Nothing mattered except the target being terminated.

When he'd gotten back home, he'd sought Hinata out to talk about his first mission. Neji felt that he owed it to her since they were on this journey together.

But when he'd finally seen her, he was hit with sudden indecision, wondering whether he should really talk to her about it. After all, she might not want to hear about it.

Hinata, however, had no qualms asking about his first time doing assassination work. He needn't have worried.

"I'll just be blunt, Neji. How did it go?" she asked.

"It was…" He took a deep breath. "It was a lot easier than I expected. There was no resistance. I did it in his sleep. Nobody heard me enter his room. He didn't even have any type of bodyguard around him, he was so secure in his invincibility. How can a man so evil, with so many enemies not sleep unguarded?"

They didn't have an answer because they didn't know the thinking behind it, either.

"He was evil?" Hinata said, more a statement than a question.

Neji shrugged. "According to Shikaku, he is."

"What's he responsible for?" Hinata asked, knowing she shouldn't have, but she was curious.

A strange look stole over his face then he said, "Do you remember that incident a few months ago at Ishibashi? There were three girls captured, tortured, and beaten to death?"

"Yes," Hinata whispered. Those girls were Hanabi's age.

"He ordered the hit. He was also responsible for the kidnapping and rape of the other girls in a separate village. What he's doing is targeting the daughters of prominent businessmen and muscling on their operations. He's only done it to a few to establish his presence and as a threat to his enemies."

"But why do _we_ need to go do it? Why not let the other Konoha shinobi do it."

"Well, they're not going to be able to get justice because the person in charge of the law is too scared to do anything against them. We can't have the girls being beaten."

Hinata knew she should put a stop to this conversation, but for some reason, Neji was willing to talk about it and she wanted to push as much as she could. This was the first time that they were talking about being assassins since they'd made that pact years ago.

"Why not get normal shinobi to do the job? Go undercover?" she probed again.

Apparently, Neji wanted to discuss this with her as well. He continued, "If they get caught, it's going to be hard for Konoha to explain itself. We're not supposed to get involved in this situation because Kiri has given them money that we weren't supposed to know about."

She nodded. She looked at him and decided to ask more details about the job itself, what he'd done with the mission.

"Neji. It was easy, then, to kill him? If not that many people were willing to die for him?"

He only nodded and didn't add anything more. He didn't want to go into the details of taking a life.

They stood quietly for a moment. Then Neji tried to smile at her but failed miserably. Instead, he focused on the other details of the mission. He sighed and said, "When it comes to your turn, make sure you do your homework."

"I will."

"Two bodyguards posted at the doorway, but that's about it. There were no other people around," he said.

Hinata squinted in thought. "Well, if he's only a two-bit thug then he's not really worth the effort, don't you think?"

"You might be right, but again, we're hoping to do all these things quietly, to settle things unofficially so that we avoid the politicking."

Hinata was quiet. Politicking. Interesting word, something done in public but in reality, fought so much in the shadows.

Neji noted her silence then hesitated before saying, "Remember what Grandfather said? 'We are the faceless ones who dispense with justice when no legitimate means can be found.'"

Hinata smiled briefly. Yeah, she knew the words. She'd memorized them as much as he had.

"He's right, though," he said with a sardonic smile. "Our way is swift. Maybe it's not completely justified, but at least we're making sure the bad guys don't get off, that there's justice and they're getting their punishment."

"Is he _really_ a bad guy, though? We've only heard one version of the story."

Neji shook his head vehemently. "There's no way he's a good guy, Hinata."

She heard the strain in his voice and noted the tense set of his shoulders, the clenched fist by his side.

Neji had just done his first assassination. He needed reassurance that he'd been in the right. Instinctively, she knew that she would need the same thing when it came to her turn. She wasn't going to doubt him or judge him. This was their destiny.

No, this was their choice. They had known from a young age that it would come to this.

It was time to stop the conversation.

"I just think we shouldn't think about it too much, Hinata." He blinked at her, but not before she'd seen the pain in his eyes as he quickly veiled it behind his blank expression. "If we do, we'd go crazy."

Hinata reached out and placed a hand on his arm. He smiled at her in gratitude.

Yes, Neji was right. It didn't help to dwell too much on the situation.

Don't question.

_Don't feel._


	10. Just a Job

_**WARNING** Again, not sure what everyone's tolerance for violence is but just giving you guys another heads up: descriptions of death with some blood right in the middle._

* * *

**Chapter 10: Just a Job**

The Hokage's advisor came for the fated visit and knocked at the door to the Hyuuga home. Her father himself answered the door and called out to Hinata to join them at his office.

"Hiashi," Shikaku said with a low bow towards him. "I apologize for interrupting you on this busy day."

Hiashi waved the apology away. "It's of no consequence, Shikaku. I know why you're here."

They both looked at Hinata.

Shikaku bowed again. "If you will permit me to say that Neji has performed extremely well these last few months. He's been an asset to our political prowess."

"The credit goes to his father, of course."

"Of course," Shikaku agreed. He cleared his throat. "But I've come to ask if Hinata is ready to take on her duty for the clan and for Konoha."

Hiashi looked at Hinata, who met her father's gaze unblinkingly. "I can't answer the question. Only my daughter can do so."

Shikaku then turned his attention to her. "Are you ready to add your name to the roster of assassins for Konoha, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded then said, "Yes, of course, Shikaku-sama."

She then bowed low, touching her forehead to the tatami mat. "I will do my duty."

Shikaku smiled at her. "Then we will be getting in touch with you in a few days. If you can prepare yourself to be ready to go at a few moment's notice, that would be ideal."

"I will be ready whenever you call for me."

"Thank you, Hinata." Shikaku then turned to Hiashi. "Thank you for meeting with me today, Hiashi. Please convey my respects to your father."

Hiashi bowed to Shikaku in response then led him out. But he didn't immediately go back to the office. Instead, he waited a few more minutes, composing himself as he watched the Hokage's assistant walk through the Hyuuga's courtyard, and finally out the gates of the compound.

There was a shriek of laughter from one of the children playing in the courtyard.

That's right. Today, some of the younger clan members were about to start practicing again for the taijutsu lessons.

He turned back to the house and made his way to his office, to where Hinata was still waiting for him. Before he opened the door, Hiashi quietly released a slow, laborious breath, weighted down by something in his chest.

From here on out, his own daughter was going to be an instrument of death.

 _Oh, Hinata,_ he thought. _I wanted to spare you this burden, but it falls upon us to continue this responsibility. We must do what we can to keep Konoha safe from its enemies._

Hinata looked up when he entered the room. Already, the resolve was in her eyes.

Hiashi looked down at his hands and saw that they were clenched into fists. He wanted to cry. Though he always maintained an unflinching facade in front of his father, he found it difficult to do with his first-born daughter. She was being so brave and accepting of her fate, without even a whimper or a complaint.

She'd accepted the duty that had befallen the chosen Hyuugas.

And the worst part of it was she did it because of love.

* * *

The summons from Shikaku came sooner than she'd anticipated.

But she was ready.

She smiled to herself. After all, even her grandfather admitted that she was well-prepared for the job. She'd spent the last seven years rigorously learning in that room with him, working on the bodies, memorizing chakra points and nerve connections, slicing through flesh and tissue.

Yes, Hinata had trained long enough. It was time to show the clan and to prove to her grandfather that she was more than capable of doing the job.

For the first time in her life, at the age of fifteen, Hinata set off to kill a man in cold blood.

They traveled for a week, Hinata and her father. They came to a town that was rough, the atmosphere was filled with the hopelessness of its people.

"Normally, you'll be going by yourself, but Father granted my wish to take you under my wing," Hiashi explained to her. "I have business in the area anyway and I thought that it would benefit both of us if we traveled together."

Hinata smiled at her father. "Are you worried?"

Hiashi laughed. "No, Hinata. With you? Never."

So he stayed at the hotel while Hinata went to find her target, a man named Matsuda. He was in his forties, a leader of one of the gangs who were benefiting from profiteering. Unfortunately, they also ran a legitimate business that was wildly successful. Profits from the business funded their crimes, mostly murder, and ironically, elimination of rival gang members.

None of the Konoha shinobi had been able to find evidence or catch Matsuda's organization in the act of committing any of the murders. But bodies had piled up, all with suspicious injuries, all heavily marked by the clumsy hack of a blade across necks and torsos.

In this atmosphere of fear, nobody willingly reached out to the legitimate shinobi who'd come to help.

They needed a stronger solution.

Shikaku had received word from one of the rival gangs and had approached the Hyugas to request their assistance.

"This is your target."

Hinata immediately memorized Matsuda's face. She looked at the other photos of rough-looking men and recognized the man who had sought Shikaku out.

"They're all gangs," he'd explained to her. He pointed to the face of their reluctant ally. "But I'd prefer to have a leader with at least a semblance of loyalty to Konoha. Plus, he'll bring stability to the region. Out of all the bad guys, this guy is the strongest."

Shikaku looked at her and knew she would understand. "I know he's an evil bastard, but he's _our_ bastard."

Hinata watched her target walk down the street. No bodyguards for someone with a lot of enemies. But he had a penchant for raping girls, which gave her the advantage.

Matsuda was one of those men who completely believed in his invincibility and thought less of others, especially a young girl who looked like she'd make an easy plaything. It didn't matter that Hinata had resisted and had pretended to fight him off when he'd suddenly grabbed her off the street. His hands had cruelly pinched and grasped at her. When that didn't work, he'd slapped her hard across her face.

Hinata let herself accept the blow, let herself be dragged into his arms. She needed to get close to him, and this was the only way to do it.

It had been easier than she'd thought, a simple brush of her fingers to his back, the slightest pressure to the appropriate chakra point, five inches below his left shoulder blade. He'd collapsed instantly at her touch, one she'd skillfully inflicted when she'd struggled against him.

He'd fallen, completely unable to move but now completely at _her_ mercy.

With the greatest pleasure that she allowed herself, Hinata touched his left breast, injected enough chakra, like a needle, and targeted that tenketsu that happened to intersect with the vein controlling the beat of his heart.

But before he completely lost consciousness, though, she had some play-acting to do so his death could be recorded properly. Even while she fought her revulsion, Hinata leaned down and placed her lips against his.

When the medical examiner inspected the body and had probed into the man's memories days later, the picture of a heart-stoppingly lovely face was all he saw. The young girl was trying to save the man, desperation in her face as she tried to breathe life into his mouth. It was all he saw before the man's memory faded to black.

He never found out that the face had been the true cause of his death.

But then other people come to try to help the man. In the confusion and the panic that startled everyone when the man had stumbled, Hinata made her escape. She sobbed and let herself be pulled up away from him.

She continued to gasp and babble incomprehensibly about the collapsed man. Even while she did, Hinata was already manipulating them, diminishing the strength of her chakra so that she faded into the background and slowly, unobtrusively walked away.

Like Neji said, it was surprisingly easy to take a life, she thought, as she walked sedately, looking completely different from the hysterically crying girl a few minutes ago.

Bile suddenly rose up in her but she took a deep, calming breath and willed it to subside. Not yet, she told herself as she walked composedly, putting as much distance as she could from the crowd.

She found the perfect place. When Hinata was far enough for anybody to suspect, she leaned forward, held her arms against the wall of the alleyway and retched into the dust. She took another deep breath, but her body shuddered one more time as the contents of her stomach emptied out again.

She clutched at the wall, hanging on, and just desperately keeping hold so she wouldn't lose her balance and fall face down into the mess. Even now, the smell of her own vomit was causing her to jerk again in response.

She wiped her face and stood up. Hinata could still hear the crowd creating a ruckus over the man. After all, he was a well-known gang leader. There were more shouts and screaming. A male voice called for somebody to get a doctor. She could also hear Matsuda's thugs frantically searching for her. But they wouldn't be able to find her because nobody could ever remember her appearance—she was that forgettable.

But in all the chaos, nobody had questioned how an otherwise healthy forty-year-old man could suddenly die of a heart attack.

Matsuda's memory would eventually fade as the rival gang and its leader stepped into the space created by his absence. True to his word, he kept the area stable and remained loyal to Konoha. He knew, of course, that he could be targeted and assassinated at any time, but he was a businessman, first and foremost. What he wanted was money, not a pile of dead bodies, so he held his power in check.

As long as he didn't rock the system too much, he would be okay from Konoha's brand of justice.

* * *

Hinata returned to their hotel and found her father sipping tea on the low table in the room. He looked up with a question in his eyes.

"It's done."

He nodded and reached for another cup to make her tea.

She came forward just as he poured hot water over the tea leaves. She sat across from him and waited for the steam to clear.

Hiashi sighed when their eyes met again. "This is a duty we have to do. We've provided this service to Konoha for centuries, which has allowed us to remain a powerful clan throughout the years. I only wish I haven't placed the burden on you, Hinata."

Her face was composed as she shook her head. "No, this is my responsibility and I will do my duty."

"Yes, I know," her father said, his tone heavy.

Hinata reached out suddenly and gripped his hand, surprising him with the flare of emotion in her eyes. "But we spare Hanabi from this fate," she burst out.

"Yes, at all cost, we will," Hiashi said, understanding and agreeing with her.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She needed to get back in control of her emotions. This was her father, and she was still in the middle of her mission. She needed to go back to Konoha and debrief the Hokage. Until then, she still had a job to do.

But her father was looking at her kindly, the expression on his face invited her to talk.

Hesitantly, Hinata tried. "I just want to confirm something. You and Uncle Hizashi knew what Neji and I had planned from the beginning?"

Hiashi laughed humorlessly. "Yes, we _both_ hoped you would come to an understanding."

She didn't bother to hide her surprise but the only reaction she allowed herself was a slow nod.

Her father continued speaking. "This duty fell to me because I wanted to protect Hizashi, too, when I was younger. Just as you want to do it to prevent Hanabi from falling to the same fate. You and Neji planned it well. It was ingenious. You were both so evenly matched that Father had no choice but to appoint the both of you to this position."

Hinata nodded. "I'm glad." She looked at him, a fierce look on her face. "This is _my_ responsibility alone. I don't want Hanabi to become another assassin. I want her to remain innocent, to have a childhood she can talk about with her own children someday."

"Yes." His tone was solemn.

He knew, of course. He'd felt the same exact thing for his younger twin when they'd been children. Hiashi was glad that the burden had been his alone to bear, sparing his brother from a life of horror. He was proud of Hizashi for using his skills to become a medic ninja instead, using his gifts to save people, not to take away their lives.

Hiashi inwardly smiled. The Hyuuga twins. The killer and the healer.

They fell silent again, Hinata stared into her tea until her father cleared his throat.

She looked up into his troubled eyes.

He was weighing what to say.

"Hinata, try to find a way to...cope. There will be times when it gets harder and bearing it will eat at your soul. Try not to think of it as a judgment. It is a job, nothing else. We do this because this is our duty, our responsibility since we are best suited for this type of work. Somebody has to do it. We just happened to be it."

"Just a job," Hinata murmured.

"Yes, so find something in your life that will ease it, something that will make you feel less of a monster."

A monster.

She looked at her father and thought of his hobby of _sado_ , of preparing tea, of the calm and the serenity of it. The long hours in the teahouse where the only sounds were silence and the whisk brushing gently against a bowl.

She took a sip of her tea, tilted her head, and asked, "It gets harder from here on out?"

There was a laugh, one filled with irony. "On the contrary, my daughter, the killing becomes easier. But the emotional toll? Yes, it does. It weighs heavy and becomes unbearable sometimes."

She knew how much this admission cost him, his acknowledgment of this weakness.

Hinata nodded. "Then I will find a way to cope."

"You _must_. Because the guilt will weigh on you, even though this is not our fault." His familiar sardonic expression flitted briefly over his features.

She bowed. "I will do my best."

"You're very brave," he said, startling her again with the sudden compliment.

She shook her head in denial, but she replied, "No, I am your daughter." Her smile was fleeting. "A true Hyuuga."

"You are," he said, pride evident in his eyes.

She stood up. "I'll leave you to your silence. I have to go back to Konoha. Thank you for accompanying me."

He bowed at her, a low one that she acknowledged as his apology for inadvertently placing her in this situation through her birth.

When she was at the door, she turned around to give him one last look.

He was smiling.

"When it becomes too much, come to me. I will listen."

"Thank you, Father."

However, her steps faltered as she was about to leave the room. She hesitated for a moment, then, "Father, would you allow me the use of mother's garden? I'd like to give it a try."

She was shocked that she'd said it. He, meanwhile, sat still, but the tension was palpable at the mention of her mother. They haven't talked about her in years, not since Hiashi had told her about her mother's and her baby brother's death.

He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

She continued. "Mother liked to grow flowers. I think I might be good at it, too."

Hiashi smiled in understanding. She would use the garden as a way to cope.

"You're good at anything you put your mind to, Hinata."

She laughed at that. She felt her father's rare compliment briefly warm her heart.

"Of course," Hiashi said. "Do what you want. I'll have them give you the keys to the glasshouse."

"Thank you, Father."

With one last bow, she left.

Thank _you_ , Hinata, he thought as Hiashi watched his daughter leave, his heart heavy. I so much wanted to save _you_ , too.

* * *

She'd just ended her debriefing with Tsunade and had been puzzled by the long glance that Hokage had given her after she'd finished her report on the mission.

She hoped she'd done everything they'd asked her to do. More than anything, she didn't want the Hokage and Shikaku to think she was incompetent and unable to do the job.

"Hinata, thank you," Tsunade finally said.

Hinata bowed and left.

It sounded like the Hokage was pleased. She was doing fine, then.

Neji was there when she got home.

He waited for her at the gates and didn't say anything but folded her into a tight hug. Surprised, Hinata let herself be embraced. Must be one of those things he was learning from his team and Gai-sensei because he never used to this when they'd been younger.

Neji gave her the same glance that the Hokage had given her and it made Hinata frown to see so many people doubting her capabilities.

"I'm fine, Neji!" she said.

Neji shook his head. "That's what worries me. You _shouldn't_ be."

"I'm different, then," Hinata said, hoping for some levity.

But Neji didn't share in the joke. "Hinata, please let me know if anything bothers you."

Hinata stifled another protest but instead let Neji continue to hug her.

No, she would not give in. All she needed was time to get used to everything. Once she hit a rhythm, like all else in her life, she would be fine.

* * *

Her first few missions had spoiled her for her fourth one, when she'd had to spill blood for the first time.

That night, she stalked her prey, learning his habits—and it was always a _he_. He'd been one of the warlords who'd been stealthily gathering arms and stealing scrolls filled with hidden jutsus from not only Konoha but from other villages as well.

Secrecy had been of utmost. He knew too much classified information about Konoha. Shikaku had explained that the next step to selling arms would be selling information. He needed to be disposed of.

At first, she tried to do things stealthily, but despite her careful planning, he'd seen her face, her eyes. Instead of fighting, though, he ran. He was smart enough to know that she was a byakugan user and one touch from her would mean the end for him.

Hinata had managed to corner him and tried to snap the man's neck with her bare hands, but he'd been stronger than she'd thought. Even with her byakugan hitting his chakra points to disable his movements, he fought hard, his will to survive propelling his resistance. Pure animal instincts to live. The cords of his neck were strong and she struggled to break the fragile bones of his vertebrae. Instead, she drew out her kunai and slit his throat.

But she miscalculated. Her incision was a few inches above his jugular, causing her to spill more blood than she'd planned. The gush of blood caused her to breathe out harshly in surprise and she did her best to wipe it off her hands.

The warmth of the blood shocked her, and she didn't like to think how almost... _pleasant_ it felt on her fingers, the way the warmth of his blood heated her cool hands.

When she ran far enough from his house, she found the closest and safest river to cleanse herself, plunging her hands into the icy cold water, trying to erase the sensation of thick, warm, liquid spilling into her palms.

It took a long time to get herself fully clean, to get the lingering metallic tang, the scent of blood, off her body, her clothes, her hair. She feared she would never get the smell of spilled blood out of her mind.

But the sixth and seventh missions had been the same. The cut across the jugular spilled too much blood, no matter how much she'd calculated and been precise in her incisions. The flow never stopped. It always gushed forth and cleanup was worse because it made her re-live the experience again.

It didn't seem to matter that they were old or young, thin or fat.

They all bled.

From then on Hinata decided that she would do everything with her hands as much as possible. Besides the smell, she didn't like the way blood got into small crevices in her uniform where she'd forgotten to check. She hated the way that it dried, and stayed, and would remind her weeks later of what she'd done.

Killing with her bare hands was cleaner. Working with weapons created a mess. She didn't like the sound, the quiet snick of a sharp blade against human skin, the way the flesh opened up underneath the cut. Nor the way blood rushed out of veins. She hated seeing the bodies still pulsating with life even as liquid spilled out.

No, she preferred the tidy, efficient way she could finish her job with just her chakra running through her hands.

* * *

Warlords. Sex traffickers. Murderers. Heads of drug cartels. Traitors.

Over the years, as she became more proficient in her job, her thinking evolved. With each kill, the target changed. But nothing changed the fact they still had to be eliminated. She'd steeled herself to think that these men were killers who hurt innocent people, took lives.

Unbidden, though, a thought always stole into her mind. Something she still struggled to control.

A whisper, an accusation.

 _You're_ a killer, too. What makes you different from these men?

I'm not. It's different, what I do.

But deep in her heart, she couldn't deny the truth.

I've killed. I kill.

And if _I_ don't do it, someone else has to. If not me, then who?

A vision of Hanabi doing the same thing made her tense and she felt the overwhelming urge to throw up. She held it down, miraculously forced it back, but the images remained clear in her mind. There she was, her beautiful sister snapping a man's neck, stabbing a man in the heart with a chakra needle, running in the darkness pursued by killers, washing blood off her hands.

No, she would not let her sister experience this, meet this fate.

Her sister was going to remain pure.

Hinata would do this job and only her. She believed in Shikaku, in the Hokage whenever they came to see her and assigned her a mission.

Always, she agreed with their reasoning. Her job was to take care of things.

Anything and anyone that threatened the stability and defenses of Konoha. Sticky issues that couldn't be solved quickly through politics. When the time for talk was clearly over and action needed to be taken. Things in the shadow world that needed to exist, but had to be controlled.

Regular shinobi weren't allowed to handle these things. It would ruin too much of what the village had built over the centuries, an ideal Konoha with the purity of its strength, the honor for its noble shinobi.

Assassinations. Targeted killings. State-sanctioned killings.

Those were meant for her. Yes, there was always a way to justify the need for her skills, her existence.

What she did was not cold-blooded murder.

It was a kind of justice, swift in its retribution, done in the darkness, hidden from the light.

But Hinata hadn't minded being in the shadows, of doing whatever was necessary to protect the tranquility, the idyllic Konoha life. Her only condition was to secure her sister's future, for Hanabi to remain ignorant of the cost of this peace.

* * *

By the time she'd gone on her fifteenth mission of these, days after her nineteenth birthday, the shock had worn off. She was a professional and carried with her the resignation and disengagement of her experience.

Hinata grew to ignore everything else. Their struggles, the recriminations, the accusing eyes, the protests, and sometimes, the cries for mercy. There was a place in the back of her mind where she could go and hide from the reality of what she was doing.

She thought of her grandfather's favorite words: _They're trash that needs to be taken out._

She took a deep breath and started seeking within her, to that part of her psyche that always helped her in times like these. It helped to calm her and to think clearly of what she needed to do.

For Hinata, separating her life and her mission was essential. Otherwise, she would think much too deeply than necessary of what she was doing.

Thinking about them as trash, as nonhuman things was a way for her to get the job done. By stripping away their humanity, she could easily kill, let them bleed out, silently die without acknowledging the expressions of fear on their faces.

She wouldn't think of them as people.

Because she _couldn't_.

It would destroy her.

And yet sometimes, they always managed to worm their way into her thoughts, whenever she was unguarded and not so vigilant.

It happened when her curiosity would sometimes get the best of her. When her eyes would glimpse the pictures on the wall, the wedding rings on the left finger, the photos in their wallets, those impossibly incongruous things in their pockets.

Once, she'd found a note scribbled with a grocery list of things to buy, signed with love and a female name enclosed in a drawing of a heart.

Things that marked them as _people_ with families and lives being led.

She shook her head to shake off her thoughts.

They are garbage, she repeated to herself.

 _Focus_.

She was still on the job.

Bedroom, the target still sleeping on the bed.

Her eyes adjusted quickly in the darkness. Nobody had noticed her stealthy entry into the house.

With a twitch of her fingers, Hinata quickly stripped off her henge, allowing her true features to surface as her disguise melted away. She made her way to where the man was sleeping. Byakugan activated, she hit the area right on the base of the man's neck to blind him and to make sure he wouldn't be able to keep a record of how he'd died. Nothing that the medical examiner could ever trace to her or to the Hyuugas.

Then with her eyes deeply probing, she found that spot on his brain that would make it look that he died from his sleep from an aneurysm, a typical reason for why men his age could die without an explanation.

He thrashed around for a little bit on the bed as the pain exploded in his head. There were soft grunts until it became silent.

She watched as his breathing slowly stopped. When she was sure he was dead, she padded silently back to the window. As she was about to leave, the door suddenly slid open and a young girl walked in.

"Papa!"

It startled her enough that Hinata leaped ungracefully away from the window sill, landing with a soft grunt on the ground outside. It was quiet enough to hide her presence, but still, the slight sound alerted the guards.

They caught sight of her and Hinata ran.

* * *

When she got home, Hinata saw that the lights to her father's office were still on despite the lateness of the hour.

She entered without knocking.

Hiashi looked up from his desk.

Bluntly, she stated, "I bungled this last mission. I killed my target, but as I was leaving the scene, some guards followed me." She pointed to her bandaged arm. "They threw kunais at me as we were all running. It's a light injury, no poison or anything. But I drew them to a river where I killed all of them. Five bodies, total. I used a sealing technique to erase all their chakra, anything that would identify them, then I buried them. I don't think I've been tracked. I waited to make sure nobody followed me here."

Hiashi accepted it all, knowing this was not the worst part of the story.

"I've already debriefed the Hokage. She knows."

Her father nodded.

Then Hinata hesitated briefly, but she opened her mouth and slowly admitted, "I might've been seen by the man's daughter."

Hiashi stilled. "You left her alive."

She swallowed and blinked. "I did. But the others, I cleaned up as best as I could. If the mess somehow gets traced back to me, I will disappear."

They both knew what she wouldn't say aloud.

Suicide. A quick death by poison.

Hiashi's keen eyes took in the determined set of her jaw.

"I won't dishonor the clan."

"I don't think it will come to that, Hinata. You're usually very thorough in these missions."

Hinata shook her head. "Everyone makes mistakes. I'm not perfect. If there are repercussions in the future, I take all the blame and the responsibility. I will make it right."

Hiashi leaned back and met her solemn gaze. They had no choice. "I wish it didn't have to be that way, but you must."

"Yes. I've never forgotten that at the most fundamental level, I should not even exist."

They exchanged similar ironic smiles, recognizing how deep Shingen Hyuuga's influence determined their lives.

The words _expendable_ and _sacrifice_ hung silently, tautly, over them.

But Hiashi was determined to reassure her. "Hinata, that's only _if_ there are repercussions."

"Yes," she said, but her tone clearly indicated she didn't believe his words.

"Still, I believe in you. Everything will be alright."

Hinata was quiet. In her heart, she doubted it.

But to make her father happy, she summoned a smile and imbued it with a warmth she didn't feel. "I hope so, Father."

She _could_ act, after all.

Hinata let herself out and closed her eyes briefly when the door to his office was completely shut.

She let out a slow breath.

She'd withheld from him the most important part of her mistake.

Ah, but that girl. So young.

With a face that looked just as innocent as Hanabi's.

The guilt had almost crushed her on her way home.


	11. Cracks

_**WARNING** Descriptions of psychological torment and some blood right in the middle of the chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 11: Cracks**

"Hanabi! Your footwork is terrible. Sloppy!" Hinata chided as she watched her younger sister spar with Neji.

Hanabi was frowning with concentration even as she whirled and jabbed at her cousin's left side. Neji was just as quick to chop at her arm and aimed for an open-palmed hit to her chest. Hanabi backed away, but she felt the graze of his chakra cut across her skin.

"Stop!" Hinata yelled and they both sprang further apart.

Hanabi shot a disgruntled look at Neji and rubbed at her chest. "Neji-niisan, I told you to be careful with my boobs!" she yelled with a laugh.

He grinned at the joke. "Sorry, Hanabi!"

She shook her fist threateningly at him. "If I end up being flat-chested, I'm going to kill you!"

His burst of laughter echoed pleasantly around the courtyard.

Hinata was still watching them with a frown on her face. "Hanabi, keep your feet light!"

"Nee-chan, come on! My footwork is okay," Hanabi protested. A pout was beginning to form on her mouth.

Hinata pursed her lips and held her fingers out, activating her byakugan. "Okay, then. Show me."

They sparred more seriously than they should have. Hinata wasn't being cruel, she just wanted her sister to take her training more seriously. They continued to fight. Neither one of them gave an inch. Hanabi wanted to show off her skills, while Hinata wanted to show her sister that there were still a few things she needed to learn.

Open-handed blows came in rapid succession against her, but Hanabi blocked them as quickly as she could, until finally, a mistake caused her to lose her footing. Hinata then swept her leg low, bringing her sister down to the ground, who landed with a loud groan. Then she quickly pinned Hanabi to the earth, holding her arms apart and weighing down her legs with her own. Her younger sister struggled against her, but Hinata wouldn't budge.

"This is why you need to be careful with your feet," Hinata explained. "As much as possible, don't get pinned down."

Hanabi huffed a frustrated sigh as she twisted sideways, but her older sister kept a firm grip and wouldn't let go.

Hinata, worried for her sister and wanting her to be able to defend against anything, offered advice. "Once you're down on the ground and have no way to activate your byakugan, you will be at the mercy of your enemies. Always watch your feet, where you're stepping. Always be aware of your surroundings. Use them!"

Hinata drew back and with another frown, said, "Now try to get yourself out of this situation. What will you do, Hanabi? How do you dislodge an enemy when you're pinned to the ground?"

Hanabi grimaced. She twisted her body, trying to dislodge her, but Hinata was taller and heavier, so she couldn't. She gave up. "Not sure?"

"Surprise them. Do something that they won't expect. It will loosen their hold on your hands and then you strike. You could spit in their face, aim for their eyes. Got it?"

"Okay. Will do," the younger girl responded with a nod.

Neji strode up to them and held out a hand. Hinata looked at it and let him pull her off Hanabi's prone body.

"I think that's it for today. How about some lunch?" he said. Hinata nodded quietly as she helped her little sister stand up.

Hanabi dusted herself off and grinned at them. "Let's get soba. Then ice cream for dessert?"

"That's fine, Hanabi," Hinata said.

"I'm just going to tell everyone where we're going. Don't leave without me, okay?"

Hinata watched her sister go and waited, Neji standing next to her.

"She's gotten much better." He was smiling at Hanabi's retreating back, skipping happily towards the house.

Hinata's brow furrowed and she grunted with dissatisfaction, clearly disagreeing with him.

Immediately, the smile died on his face as he saw the stiff way she held herself.

He sighed inwardly. Recently, it was so difficult to get her to loosen up and to let go.

Throughout the sparring match, there'd hardly been any trace of enjoyment on her face considering they were all together on a very rare day off from their missions. These training exercises usually gave her satisfaction, to be spending time with her sister.

"You know, Hinata, it would really be nice if you could smile when you're talking to me."

Conversely, her eyebrows drew further into a deeper frown. "Why?"

 _You're so clueless!_ he wanted to say, but he knew it always offended her when he said something true like that. Hinata never liked to have her "weaknesses" pointed out to her. All part of her emotionally stunted growth, of course.

"Smiling puts people at ease," he settled in saying.

"Yes, I know that," she replied with slight annoyance. "I just don't feel the need to do it right now."

"Fair enough," Neji conceded. "But just _faking_ a smile helps even if you're not in the mood. It won't make others feel heavy and so gloomy when they're around you."

"Sure, Neji," Hinata said with a slight smile.

Her lips were tilted upwards, but her eyes were aloof. At least she was humoring him. He'd count it as her way of making a joke. Still, though, it would be nice if she just allowed herself to loosen the reins to her emotions.

"It's not always about work, you know. There's more to life than being shinobi. You have to join us sometimes in the real world. Being social and being around people helps me bear it. I just want to be reminded that I'm human and that I have people who care."

"Really, Neji? Do you honestly believe the words that are coming out of your mouth?" Hinata responded unthinkingly. His eyes widened with surprise, then narrowed dangerously.

"I'm sorry," she said and laid her hand on his arm, truly contrite. "But I understand what you mean. I've got you and Hanabi. Maybe my father and Uncle Hizashi, too."

But she smiled, her eyes crinkling in genuine pleasure when she thought of Neji's father. He was always a favorite of hers. Quite possibly, he was the only Hyuuga who radiated any kind of happiness towards others. Except Hanabi, of course.

Then the smile disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

Neji sighed. "Fine, your crabby mood's probably due to hunger. But I really hope you smile at least one more time today."

"I might. But maybe after you've treated me to some ice cream, Neji."

* * *

She should have known it wouldn't last, but she'd been unprepared to deal with it.

Really, now that Hanabi was all grown up, had even become chuunin and was off on her own doing shinobi work, Hinata should have expected everything to fall apart.

But when it came, it left her floundering.

They were sparring again, this time in the training room where she and Neji had decided their futures when they'd made the pact.

Hanabi had come home after her mission more quiet than usual. Hinata had been on her way to dance practice with Natsu and had noticed the gloomy air clinging to her younger sister. Nothing she said cheered her up until Hanabi had suddenly asked her to a sparring match.

Because she'd been worried, Hinata had agreed.

Still, though, neither girl seemed to be giving it their all, half-hearted efforts at punching.

Then with a feeling of deja-vu, Hinata managed to pin her sister to the floor again, reminding her of that time last week. She hoped Hanabi remembered her advice. She tried to tease her sister out of her funk, so in a light tone, asked, "What now, Hanabi?"

_"I hate you."_

It was a low hiss filled with venom, surprising Hinata in its intensity.

She paled. For one split-second, she loosened her grip and Hanabi was able to rise up and crack her forehead against her older sister's. The pain blinded her for a moment, but Hinata tried to hit back at Hanabi, aiming a blow to her younger sister's shoulder and chest, anything she could reach. But Hanabi had dislodged her and was able to free her arms.

Quickly, Hinata stepped back from Hanabi's fingers aimed at her torso. Years of training made her react instinctively. Forced to rely on her own power, Hinata activated her own byakugan and went on the attack. She hit Hanabi hard on the arm with the side of her palm, but Hanabi's left arm came up to block it and she whirled around to try to jab at Hinata's back.

Anticipating the move, Hinata whirled around too, but she crouched down low and pierced her sister at the waist. It caught Hanabi squarely on her body, and her grunt of pain went straight to Hinata's heart.

Hanabi was frozen momentarily in pain, but then she held her arms up to signal her defeat.

Hinata quickly deactivated her byakugan and went to help her, but Hanabi flung off her helping hand and stalked angrily out of the training room.

"Hanabi, wait!" Hinata yelled, but her sister ignored her and kept on walking.

She followed her younger sister to her bedroom.

"Hanabi, won't you talk to me? What was _that_ in the training room?"

Hanabi stared at her then closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, her hands unconsciously balled into fists. "Nobody ever talks about her! How come I can't even _ask_ about her?!"

 _Her_.

No.

_No._

Oh, she hated this, Hinata thought.

She hated _scenes_. Especially when it was about their mother, but there was nothing she could say because the accusation was true. For some reason, none of the Hyuugas had felt the need to talk about their mother, especially Hinata, who still struggled to repress any stray memory of her mother, thoughts that would hinder her from performing her tasks.

Their grandfather point-blank refused to acknowledge her, while their father could barely bring her up in conversation.

But now Hanabi wanted to question the silence, needed to air her feelings, and rightly so. Ironically, the youngest of the Hyuugas happened to be the one with the most emotional growth. At fifteen, Hanabi was trying to straddle the life between childhood and adulthood. She was young enough to be blunt and honest, but old enough to understand how strange it was to keep so much emotion buried under so many secrets.

She was glaring at Hinata. "I hate you because through sheer dumb luck, you were born first and you got to spend more time with her!"

Hinata winced. "I'm sorry, Hanabi." She wanted to hug her sister, but she knew she would be rebuffed.

"I don't even remember her anymore!" Hanabi cried. "All I know is _you_ , but you're _not_ my mother! You're my _sister_! I want a _mother_! All the other girls have mothers. Why can't _we_?"

And the dam burst for Hanabi as her tears finally spilled over.

"I was on an all-girl team today and they were talking about their mothers until they realized they were in front of me. Then they shut up and gave me looks of pity. But I played it off like I didn't care, but I _do_." She hiccoughed. "I don't need the pity, I just want to know what she's like! Why does nobody ever mention her anymore?"

Hinata walked the few steps towards her sister and finally wrapped her arms around her sister's shaking shoulders. "I'm sorry, Hanabi. I just never realized."

Hanabi didn't rebuff her as she'd expected to. Instead, she clung to her older sister as she let go of her pent-up frustrations—just like she'd done when they were younger, making Hinata realize how long ago those days were.

Life before.

A life she could never go back to, but it was still possible to salvage it for Hanabi.

"I'm sorry, Hanabi," Hinata said again as she rubbed her sister's back. She meant it sincerely, but what she was most sorry about now was her inability to express what she was feeling to help Hanabi.

She had never been good at these things. She shied away from people whenever they started to become emotional because she just didn't like how wild and ungovernable they became.

It made her uncomfortable and panicky.

And she hated the feeling of losing those threads that tightly bound her.

But Hanabi was here in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, wailing for a mother she had missed the last thirteen years of her life. And Hinata knew she needed to help her.

It was just so hard to dig deep and find something to make her sister feel better.

Over the years, Hinata had repressed their mother's memory because she didn't want to experience the loss again, of feeling her world falling apart. To see her smiling face and then to realize she wouldn't again. To feel reassuring hands when they tickled or hugged. How warm it had felt and the stark absence of it when it disappeared.

Her mother's death reminded her so much of the many things she couldn't control in life.

Control made her safe, made her powerful. Control of her emotions, her memory, her breathing, her fate.

Once she went down into the buried recollections of her mother, she knew she would lose it.

But Hanabi was hurting and she had to try for her sake. So Hinata pried open her memories and reached for the details and images she remembered from her childhood.

"Do you still remember how much she yelled at us when we trampled her plants in the glasshouse?"

There was a gasp and then a watery chuckle. Hanabi nodded. "Yeah."

"Mother had a big mole right below her left ear."

Hanabi momentarily stopped crying and looked at her in surprise. "She did?"

"Yes. I used to touch it all the time."

"What else?"

"You know that cookie place, right next to the shop that sells dango?"

"Uh-huh."

"When you walk in and you smell the freshly-baked cookies? That's what she smelled like."

"Oh."

"She hated shiitake mushrooms."

"Me, too!"

"She'd always dress you in pink when you were a baby."

Hanabi sniffled, wiped her nose with her arm, then giggled. "Ugh. I _hate_ pink."

"But she loved to put so much wasabi in her sashimi…"

* * *

The nightmares came that night.

Her mother was rocking Hanabi in her arms, slowly, and crooning a lullaby that Hinata vaguely remembered. It was out of tune, but she was smiling as she drew gentle circles on the baby's back.

Then the shadows behind her formed, solidified into a figure wielding a kunai, held right above her mother's neck and the scene turned red as blood splattered. But not before her mother's eyes reached across the space and scored Hinata's with a look filled with cold loathing. Her mouth was frozen in a scream, but Hinata heard the word _murderer_ whisper chillingly in the room.

Hinata sat up with a gasp and pressed her hands to her temples. She was shaking.

She took a deep breath, then another, and then another. She laid back on the bed. She slid her pillow off from underneath her head then laid her arms by her side on the bed, palms out. She kept up the breathing.

Eyes still closed, she let her mind drift, forcing herself to remember to breathe in seven counts and to release her breath in ten.

Seven breaths...in...ten breaths...out.

Once she was calm again, she looked beside her and saw Hanabi sleeping, her face caught in a frown. Hinata reached out and gently rubbed the spot between her sister's eyebrows. Hanabi sighed, her expression easing, her breath evening as she sank deeper into sleep.

After their conversation last night, Hanabi had felt exhausted and refused dinner. Hinata had done the same and they continued talking about their mother while they lay on the bed. Somehow, they'd both fallen asleep.

In the middle, Hanabi had suddenly reached out to hug her older sister and whisper contritely, "I'm sorry, Onee-chan. I don't hate you. I never have. I didn't mean anything. I really love you, you know."

"Yes, Hanabi. I love you, too."

But she didn't fully believe her sister's words. Somewhere in there, the truth lay. Hinata didn't care, though. Hanabi was allowed to feel whatever she wanted to feel. If her love for Hinata mingled with hate and resentment, it was good enough for her.

It was still _something_.

Hinata knew that going back to sleep was impossible.

She sat up as quietly as she could to prevent Hanabi from waking up. She kept her hand on her sister's arm, rubbing, soothing her unsettled spirit. Then she turned her eyes to the window to wait and watch the sun rise.

 _Please continue loving me, Hanabi,_ Hinata thought. _Please just love me._

* * *

The blood came a few days later.

It was innocuous enough. She was reaching to tie her hair back to get ready for her dance but a flash of red had caught her attention in the mirror. She dropped her hair and held her hands out to check them. Nothing, but it was still strange. She shut her eyes tight then opened them again. There was a sigh of relief. It was just a trick of the light.

The next time it happened, they were at the ice cream shop. Hanabi was taking her time, debating what flavor to get for takeout. Hinata was reaching inside her purse to get cash to pay when the gush of blood seeping from her sleeves caused the liquid to drip onto her fingers. She gasped in surprise and dropped her wallet.

It wasn't possible, but her hands were stained a vibrant red.

She blinked a few times, shook her head, and looked down again at her hands.

They were suddenly clean again.

Her breath came out shakily.

"Onee-chan?" Hanabi was looking at her strangely. "You okay?"

Somehow, she managed to smile at her sister enough to reassure her. "Yeah, just being clumsy. Did you decide?"

To hide her uneasiness, she leaned down and picked up her wallet.

"Yup!" Hanabi chirped. "Just plain old vanilla today."

Two weeks later, it happened for the third time. Hinata was just coming out of her mother's glasshouse and ran into her sister, who was walking rapidly while hastily trying to tie the knot to her forehead protector.

She was on her way to a mission and just wanted to hug her sister before she left.

As Hinata reached out with her answering hug, she felt the sensation of liquid dripping down the back of her hand. Her heart sank, already anticipating red. Sure enough, her fingers were crimson and seemed to be pulsing, bubbling with blood, making her feel sick at the thought of hugging Hanabi with the grotesque image still planted in her mind.

She quickly pulled her arms down to her side.

Hanabi had seen it, interpreted it as a rejection. A flicker of hurt crossed her face, then the childish question, "Are you still mad at me?"

"No, Hanabi, never!" Hinata cried and folded her sister in a hug. Then she put her hands in her pockets and with a couple of taps, furtively wiped them inside.

"Are your hands dirty?" Hanabi asked. She'd seen the way her sister had quickly tried to hide her hands in the pockets of her overalls.

Hinata shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

Hanabi looked at her, a worried frown on her face. "If anything's bothering you, you can talk to me, you know."

"I will," Hinata said as took her hands out of her pockets. She checked for blood and was happy to see it clean again. She pressed a kiss to the top of her sister's head to hide the quick flare of anxiety she'd felt.

Hanabi squeezed her again. "Okay. See you when I get back, then."

Hinata waited until Hanabi was out of sight before she held out her hands, inspecting them.

Clearly, she was seeing things because no blood dripped from her fingers now. Her hands, however, were trembling.

And it bothered her that this was happening. She'd been good at managing her emotions, her reactions. This wasn't supposed to be happening to someone like her.

In a flash of insight, her mind screamed that she was being soft.

She frowned. _Am I weak?_

No, it wasn't possible. The only way to fight this was to get stronger, to train harder, to become more efficient. So she set out and re-ordered her carefully built defenses in her mind, relying on the numbing effects of a regular training routine.

Every motion, every swing of the arm, every turn of the foot gave her control over her thoughts, of the visions that eventually lessened in frequency. She focused only on the movements and nothing else.

Hinata doubled her time training just as Hanabi's emotional upheaval gradually settled. She didn't ask as many questions about their mother anymore because she sensed her older sister's disquiet. Her momentary selfish desire to lash out and hurt her sister had been real, driven by a need to understand how much the loss of their mother had impacted her.

They'd aired their feelings, Hinata in her own awkward way and Hanabi in her youthful way. But it was enough for the both of them. Hanabi returned to her cheerful facade, unwittingly enabling Hinata to fall back on her habit of desensitizing anything she found unsettling.

It became safe for her to hide again.

* * *

"Feminine wiles?"

Hinata's question hung in the silence, her face was a blank mask as she faced the Hokage's advisor. She was unsure what Shikaku meant. They were standing in Tsunade's office currently discussing a new assignment that came up. She shook her head apologetically and shrugged. "Shikaku-sama, I don't understand."

She glanced at Tsunade, who was trying her hardest to keep her smile from showing. She was obviously enjoying her advisor's discomfiture.

"Feminine wiles," Shikaku repeated after he cleared his throat for the third time since they'd started this awkward mission briefing. "Hinata, for the next mission, you might need to flirt and use your body or whatever other means you can to get close to the enemy."

"Flirt? I'm sorry, I don't know how to do that," Hinata said with a frown. "How does one go about flirting, Shikaku-sama?"

Shikaku sighed just as Tsunade snorted with amusement. "I don't know, Hinata. Perhaps somebody else can help you with that? I'm just here to tell you what your orders are," he said then glanced helplessly at the Hokage.

At this, Tsunade finally let out a laugh. "Shikaku, shirking your duties? Passing off your job to someone else?"

Shikaku smiled wryly. "Hokage-sama, I'm not a female and I only have a son. My wife will tell you that I know shit about girls and the last person to know anything about flirting. It's too ambiguous a tactic. I prefer the more direct approach. I see my enemy and then ram my fist into their face."

Hinata nodded. "I prefer that approach, too."

Tsunade laughed again. But there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Come in," she said. The door opened and Hinata's former captain walked in. "Shikaku, since you have no delicacy when it comes to the female species, I've asked Kurenai to help Hinata with this type of maneuver."

Kurenai stepped forward, bowed to the Hokage first then to everyone else in the room.

"Kurenai-sensei, it's been a while," Hinata said with a slight bow. As always, the expression on her face never gave away her thoughts.

"Hinata," Kurenai said warmly. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I'm sorry I missed your wedding to Asuma-sensei. Congratulations."

Kurenai shook her head. "I wish you could've been there, too. Chouji and Shino wanted so much to see you."

Involuntarily, she slid accusing eyes to Tsunade, who only raised an imperious brow.

The Hokage was unapologetic. No wedding was important enough for Hinata to ever skip out of a mission. It was just a scheduling mishap.

Still, she said, "Yuuhi, thanks again for coming to join us."

Kurenai smiled thinly. "I can't refuse an order from the Hokage."

"Well, you guys can catch-up later," Tsunade said. She pointed to Hinata. "She needs a crash course in flirting and using feminine wiles, Kurenai. I don't have the time and I also don't know how to flirt effectively." She shrugged. "I've never had to chase after men. Men chase _me_."

Nobody doubted the Hokage.

Kurenai smiled at Hinata then she looked at the two of them. "I don't think Hinata needs to flirt, either, to be honest. She should be able to get close to anybody with just her looks alone."

Tsunade wrinkled her face then leaned forward in her chair. She placed her chin on hands steepled over the desk. "Yes, that is true, but she's a little bit stiff when she talks to people. Can you make her softer? More womanly?"

Hinata processed everything around her. She doubted she would be capable of these feminine skills that they wanted her to learn.

Kurenai resisted the urge to sigh, completely agreeing with her young charge's thoughts.

"Your job is to loosen her up, Kurenai," Shikaku said. A quick glance at Hinata's frown made him quickly amend, "Just a _little_ bit."

* * *

On her way to her next mission, she ran into Itachi Uchiha on his patrol around Konoha. As a greeting, he'd sent her a nod and a brief smile in her direction. She lifted a hand to acknowledge him. She wondered briefly where he was heading, but then she shook her head to concentrate and focus on her objectives.

Today, she was heading to a town called Muroran. Her target was a man in charge of a crime syndicate with the possible link to a sex trafficking operation that spread through all five of the elemental villages.

Once she arrived in the area she was meant to patrol, she spent the few days watching from the shadows and counted the bodyguards, mostly thugs, around her target, and noted the number of identifiable shinobi. Only seven. A few chuunin and two jonin she could determine.

Dispassionately, she observed that they lacked professionalism in their duties, hardly keeping up a training regimen, and lackadaisical as they checked around the perimeters of her target's estate.

That night, a man came out, dragging a girl by the hair and Hinata resisted the urge to draw her kunai and kill him at the spot. Too bad he wasn't her target. But still, she was going to wait for the perfect opportunity to get him back.

The man slapped the girl across the face, and she slumped against the wall, unconscious. The man aimed a kick at her then went back into the house, slamming the door behind him with a loud, "Stupid bitch!"

Hinata's lips formed a derisive smile. Flirting, she thought, was not going to help her in this situation. These men wouldn't be gentle.

_Sorry, Kurenai-sensei, your lessons were completely useless._

From her perch, her diminished chakra hid her from sensing eyes. She could hear the raucous laughter and loud music coming from the house. There was a sudden sound of glass breaking then she heard one of the men yell out a curse.

"Fucking whore!" echoed through the night as bawdy, drunken laughter erupted.

"I'm sorry!"

Underneath the boisterous noise of the rowdy party, even without the use of her byakugan, Hinata heard the muted thud of a fist connecting with a soft stomach, the quiet gasp of pain. It must not have been a good enough of a reaction because the same person who'd gasped suddenly shrieked louder.

"Let go of my hair!" the girl screamed.

But only more roars of cruel laughter met her plea. "You need to be more polite," somebody hissed.

"Please!" the girl cried.

A slap first and then the girl stumbled away. Hinata could hear her uneven footsteps as she tottered precariously towards the door.

 _Garbage_ , Hinata thought, her grandfather's words echoing loudly in her mind. _I'm just taking out the trash._

For a final time, she went through her mission directives in her mind. Target: Akagai Chiyoda, leader of an organization calling themselves Wolves. Chiyoda was particularly vicious as he liked to use silent means to cause destruction. His weapon of choice was drugs that when taken, made people's chakras more potent. Recently, he'd started distributing and selling his drugs to shinobi. Some of Konoha's ninja had unfortunately fallen victim to Chiyoda's narcotics.

Tsunade had wanted a quiet assassination, particularly because Chiyoda's father was politically connected to Kiri's Daimyo.

"The father's very high-ranking. That's all you need to know."

Hinata privately agreed. The less she knew the better.

Especially now, as she could see and hear his cruelty in the way he let his men treat the women. Her byakugan was now activated, seeking Chiyoda's tall presence within the house. Before she found him, she saw two girls sprawled on the bed, one bent over the bathroom sink pressing a hand to her stomach, and one more girl...in a cage.

Hinata's jaw clenched.

The girls were all in various states of undress. She gauged their blood flow and saw a couple with sluggish movements in their veins. Most likely drugged.

She found Chiyoda in his bedroom, already passed out.

Good. It was an easy job, then. He would offer no resistance.

With her henge on, she slipped into his room quietly, proving how inept his bodyguards were. She muted her chakra, an extra precaution that left no trace of who she was.

It was easy enough to make it look like he had a heart attack.

But just to make sure, she muffled the room with a jutsu to prevent the sounds from reaching the men below. After that, she dragged Chiyoda to the bathroom, placed him into the tub, and sank him deep into the water until he was completely submerged. She grabbed a couple of liquor bottles and placed them all over the room and next to the tub within his reach.

She knew she wasn't supposed to do it, but she did it anyway. It hadn't been part of her mission but she cut the lock to the cage, quietly dragging the girl out. She turned to the others, placed a finger to her lips and motioned for the conscious one to go out the door. Between the two of them, they managed to get the other unconscious women out.

She took out a scroll, huddled the women together and used a reverse summoning to get them out of the compound. When the conscious girl realized what had just happened, she opened her mouth to thank her, but Hinata had already whirled around to go back into the house.

She just couldn't let it go.

No flirting required for this job.

With another flick of her fingers, she activated another subtle henge, disguising herself as one of the girls she'd just rescued. She went downstairs, allowed herself to be grabbed, groped, pawed at by the men. Even as they squeezed painfully and slapped her, she exacted her revenge. She did it subtly, fingers brushing lightly against their thighs.

She scanned with her byakugan, found the vein she was looking for, the one spot where she knew she could do the most prolonged damage. Indifferently, she hit their chakra points. While she wasn't allowed to kill these men, she would still inflict whatever punishment she could against them.

When it came time to have sex, these men would find trouble getting an erection. Their disability would last forever and no amount of drugs would be able to undo the damage.

Later that night, she went back to the girl still slumped outside and patched her up as best as she could with her medical knowledge.

From the pouch strapped to her thigh, Hinata extracted a small canister filled with gas, unhooked the pin with her mouth, and threw it into the living room. She doubted anyone would hear.

Quietly, she dragged the girl to a safe place.

Meanwhile, the gas from the canister leaked and caused the men to feel faint and dizzy. It would only last for an hour or two. They would wake up, unfortunately.

Yes, all part of the job.

 _Garbage_.

She was just taking out the trash.

* * *

"You were there to assassinate, not _rescue_ , Hinata. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel, but you can't save everyone," Tsunade said with a sigh. Her eyelids fluttered close then she pushed fingers into her tired eyes.

When she opened them again, her expression was implacable. "I understand how you felt about the situation, but you _must_ follow the rules else you'll become sloppy and get caught. Next time, stick to the objectives of the mission."

Hinata bowed her head in apology. Luckily, it was just the two of them in the office so nobody was there to witness her dressing down from the Hokage.

"I'll let it go this time, but if it happens again, you're going to be marked for insubordination in your record and I'll be forced to tell your clan."

Hinata nodded. "Understood, Tsunade-sama. I deeply apologize for causing you all this trouble and for failing my mission."

Tsunade exhaled a frustrated breath. "You didn't _fail_ , Hinata. The target was exterminated. You just did unnecessary things that could've jeopardized your mission."

"It's the same thing."

This time, Tsunade resisted the urge to sigh again. She leaned back into her chair and peered intently at the young shinobi, who met her gaze just as levelly.

Hinata meant what she'd said, Tsunade suddenly realized, that she really didn't see a difference between full failure and disregarding some of the terms of her mission details.

Concern for the girl immediately filled her.

"Hinata, are you okay?"

Hinata blinked with surprise. "Of course, Tsunade-sama. Nothing is wrong with me."

The Hokage frowned at her. "I want you to talk to someone about what's bothering you. I am so tempted right now to order you by force to do it."

Hinata stiffened.

"But I won't do that because that's your right and privilege. Can you talk to Neji, at least? He's usually got a steadying influence on you. Maybe he can convince you to get some help."

This time, Hinata's eyes were cool. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I don't need help."

"Hinata!" Tsunade said sharply as she banged a hand on the table.

Hinata winced momentarily but she kept her posture rigid. She didn't break the Hokage's gaze.

"Don't forget who you're talking to." Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "I am a medic ninja and I can usually tell when a person's going through something. Again, I won't force you to do it, but you're going to have to deal with those issues at some point."

Reluctantly, Hinata nodded.

"If it's going to affect you when you're on your missions, then you'll effectively be useless."

Hinata paled and Tsunade softened her tone as she said, "You've been such a good soldier all this time. I really appreciate what you've done for me and for Konoha. I'd hate to see you fall prey to your demons. It's never a bad idea to just talk to someone about what's troubling you, Hinata."

If she'd meant the words to lighten the load on Hinata's shoulders, it had the opposite effect.

She'd only heard the word _useless_ applied to her, and it crushed her to hear it, so she missed the true point of Tsunade's message.

Still, Hinata offered one last deferential bow at the Hokage before she let herself out of the office.

Outside in the hall, she wiped clammy palms on her shorts then looked down at her hands just to make sure.

They were clean. No blood today.

Thank god.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ugh! _No mas_.

How do you guys do it?! I _hate_ reading angst. Why the hell did I think I could write it?!

Go hug your moms, somebody, anybody, I don't care.

But anyway, that is the end of Hinata's individual story. Bless you guys for hanging on.

Hopefully, we can move on from the hurt and get to the comfort part.


	12. Operatives

* * *

**Part 3: Clash**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Operatives**

Late at night, two exhausted figures in an office were ironing out the final details for a mission.

A man held up a photo of a girl with pink hair.

The person seated across from him answered with a shake of the head.

"No undercover work for her. She's busy here. I need her to run the medical corps. I'm heading off to Iwa to meet with Onoki in a week, and she needs to stay in my place."

Sakura's photo was set to the side on the table.

"What about her?"

Ino's photo was held suspended in the air for a minute before a negative reply came from the person opposite.

"She _could_ use her family's jutsu, but she's going to stand out too much. She'll be suspicious if she just arrived suddenly in the area without a cover."

The photo of Ino went on top of Sakura's.

This time, the man held up a headshot of a girl with brown eyes and brown hair held up in two buns up top.

"Tenten?" came the musing voice across the table. "I don't know...what's her excuse, though? Everyone knows she's a weapons expert, so that blows the purpose of her being undercover."

Another shake of the head invalidated the option, so the man discarded her picture, too.

He picked up the next one. "This candidate?"

A photo of Hinata went to the middle of the table.

"Oh, she's perfect!" The voice was pleased. "They've already got the contacts in the village. She can easily use her family's business as cover and won't make anybody suspicious if she's there for a long period of time. She's also got that ability to not stand out in a crowd."

There was a hum of approval. The photo stayed in the middle.

"And her partner?" the man asked.

"We need someone who's personable and can easily make friends with people. Somebody cheerful and will be able to put people at ease."

"So no Uchichas."

The picture of Sasuke and Itachi were added to the pile of rejected shinobi.

A snort. "And no other Hyuugas."

Neji's headshot went on top of the stack of photos.

There was a brief smile as the speaker held up the next candidate. "What about this lazy ass?"

"No, he's got other stuff to work on at Suna."

Shikamaru's photo was added to the rising mountain of profile headshots.

"This guy, then?"

A different photo of a man with glasses and a hood went up in the air.

There was a laugh. "I said personable and _cheerful_."

An answering chuckle. "I guess not. Plus, he's too obvious as an insect user and I want him here working on something else."

Shino's picture was added to the stack.

"Okay, what about Kiba?"

"He needs Akamaru to work with most of the time so it will be difficult if he finds himself in a tight spot."

Kiba's photo went on top of Shino's.

Before the man even held up the next picture, the person across the table raised a hand. "Chouji can't go because he's already on another mission at Kumo. He's working with the Raikage's shinobi."

"Okay," the man said as Chouji's image joined the pile. He picked up the last headshot.

"So we're left with him then."

Naruto's photo went in the middle. The two speakers looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"And her."

Shikaku slid Hinata's photograph next to Naruto's headshot.

"Great. We've got our two operatives then," Tsunade said with satisfaction as she looked at the team of undercover shinobi they'd just formed.

"Will they be okay together?" Shikaku asked.

Tsunade was confident. "Yes, Hinata can handle herself."

"And Naruto?"

She tapped her fingers on the table and leaned her head back against her chair, peering intently at his photo.

"This will be a test for him, too," Tsunade answered after a pause.

"Hmm. You think he's ready?"

She evaded the question. "Jiraiya seems to think so."

Shikaku looked at her speculatively. "They've never worked together before. And you've never told me why, but I can see the reason why they were kept apart."

She only laughed again. "You're too clever for your own good, Shikaku."

He snorted a quick laugh then gazed at Naruto's smiling face and the calm expression on Hinata's.

"One with his squeaky-clean image, groomed from birth to become a future Hokage," he said. "And the other an assassin who represents the dirtiest and most shameful part of Konoha politics."

Tsunade smiled grimly at him. "It's time."

"Yeah," Shikaku said. He shot one last look at their operatives and shook his head.

"Total opposites working undercover. Let's see how this clash of worlds is going to pan out."

* * *

Oh, no, he thought as he saw the tears forming in her eyes.

Naruto braced himself for what was about to come.

"So you want to get your own apartment? You're moving out of the house? Why?!" Mikoto wailed.

Naruto was home to negotiate with his mother. He hated the timing, but he guessed that now was as good a time as any. If he were being honest, though, he was taking advantage of this sudden mission from Tsunade that had just come up. He was going to tell his family the news, then leave immediately to avoid dealing with the repercussions. He was happy to hide behind the excuse of having a mission.

They were in the dining room and he was still finishing his dinner, sitting across from her at the table. Sasuke was home, too, and was at the refrigerator grabbing some juice.

She tried to prevent it from showing, but the hurt was on Mikoto's face.

He suddenly felt bad for springing it so unexpectedly on her.

"Mikoto," Naruto said as he quickly stood up and gave her a hug. "Don't look at me like that! I just want to try living on my own for a little bit. You know I love you."

"Yes, I do, but I just don't like the idea of you living all by yourself."

"Mother, isn't it obvious?" came Sasuke's dry voice as he walked towards them. "Naruto wants to be with girls and he can't do that freely while he's living here with everyone."

Naruto blushed but he glared at Sasuke. "You butt out and shut your mouth!"

Sasuke grinned at him. "See? He's not even trying to deny it."

Mikoto sighed. "I guess you've already decided and no amount of me pleading will change your mind.?"

He looked sheepish.

She pouted. "I'm not going to stop you, of course, but I just want you to come back for a visit whenever you can."

"I will," he said, giving her another squeeze. "No matter what, you'll always be my mother, my family."

She looked at him and was reminded of when he'd been little, the time he'd been so reluctant to leave by himself. Now, all he seemed to want to do was to go off on his own. The tears formed in her eyes again.

"I'd rather you went and stayed with Jiraiya…" she started to say but he quickly shook his head.

"No, Mikoto. I just want to try living on my own for a _little_ bit."

"Sasuke and Itachi don't want to leave, so why do _you_?" she asked.

"Mikoto," Naruto said, patting her on the head. He didn't know what else to say.

But once she got started, there was no stopping her. She was bawling at this point.

"Man, why'd you go and make her cry like that, asshole!" Sasuke yelled. He glared at Naruto.

But Naruto ignored him and continued squeezing Mikoto, patting her on the back, trying to reassure her. "Mikoto, it might only be temporary. You never know, I might hate living on my own and soon come back home."

She sniffed and nodded. "There's always that hope—but if you're going to be chasing girls, I doubt that you'll ever come back home at all."

Sasuke smirked at him.

"Just for the record, I'm moving out because I want to try being independent. I'm not going to be chasing after girls!"

* * *

Naruto was excited. He was on his way to see Tsunade after receiving the order to appear before her at the Hokage Tower. He wondered who he was going to be working with and what the new assignment was.

As he walked down the hallway, he saw a woman walking ahead of him. She didn't look familiar until he caught up to her and glanced down. He saw dark hair and lavender eyes and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Hinata Hyuuga?! Is that you?!"

She stopped, too, and looked at him. There was a sign of recognition on her face.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Are you here to see the Hokage, too?" she said.

"Yeah! Holy crap! I haven't talked to you in years!" he couldn't help himself from yelling out. He hadn't seen her since they'd been fledgling ninjas.

She only gazed at him serenely. "So you're back in the village?"

"Yes. I just got back a month ago, but I haven't run into you in town at all."

He was still reeling, seeing the changes in her, reconciling his memory of her when they'd been children and the gorgeous woman who stood before him now.

"Yes, that's true," she said then she stared at him, waiting for him to speak. It prompted him to grin at her but her expression never wavered.

"Shall we enter?" she asked when he didn't say anything else and only looked back at her.

He nodded in reply, still smiling at her.

Hinata looked amazing, he couldn't stop himself from staring. The last time he'd seen her, they'd just gotten assigned to their jonin captains. Those days she'd worn her hair in a short bob and tended to wear loose jackets. She was taller now and wore a uniform that proclaimed her womanly form in all its glory.

He opened the door for her and watched as she walked in front of him, his eyes drawn to the long hair falling at her back, the gentle sway of her hips, and the rounded curves of her butt.

Then he quickly looked up at Hokage.

Tsunade caught the quick glance Naruto had flashed at Hinata's ass and raised her brow at him. He grinned back at her.

"Tch!" was the first word out of her mouth in greeting, but she nodded at him then at Hinata after he closed the door behind him.

"Thank you for coming."

Shikaku stood beside the Hokage and looked at them as they walked in. He gave Hinata a brief smile, which she returned with a bow, but there was a pleased look on her face.

To Naruto, he grinned.

"You owe me a shogi rematch," Shikaku said, addressing his son's former teammate. Naruto came up to him and gave him a hug, even though he knew that the older man wasn't really much of a toucher.

When he stepped back, he beamed at Shikaku. "Sir, aren't you tired of beating me at shogi?! You know I can't compete against you and Shikamaru."

Shikaku laughed. "Come round the house when you can. Shikamaru wants to see you before you guys go off on your mission."

Tsunade cleared her throat impatiently. "You guys can chit-chat later. I'm busy and we need to give these two the details for their mission."

"These two?" Naruto asked in surprise then looked at Hinata. Now that he understood why they were here, he realized that this was the first time since their genin days that they'll be working together.

For some reason, his heart started beating more quickly as his glance lingered on her. He was quiet as Tsunade nodded at Shikaku to continue.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, we're assigning you to an undercover mission into a small village bordering the lands of the Fire Country and The Mist. Isetan is a very rare outpost so a lot of this might be speculation, but we've been hearing strange rumors coming from this area."

Shikaku laughed, the sound wry. "It _could_ be a pointless voyage, but I highly doubt it. We have some villains who need watching. Both of you need to go undercover and see if you can gain information on the movements of a possible assault against Konoha. Hinata, your cover is to use your family's business with the tea farmers in the area."

She nodded.

"Naruto, you, meanwhile, will be her assistant and sometimes bodyguard."

Naruto made a face. "Assistant?"

Shikaku nodded. "Yes, as a _lowly_ assistant, you'll have more access to people who won't be dealing directly with Hinata, who's supposed to be upper class and rich."

Naruto laughed. "Supposed to be?" he said with a teasing smile at her.

She looked back at him, no sign of amusement on her face.

Shikaku continued, "Jiraiya always says you're quite skilled at gathering information, so we're obviously putting that to test in this mission."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best, of course."

"As expected. Again, send us reports whenever you can. If you spot any trouble, try to nip it in the bud and not make it be bigger than it needs to be, okay?"

"I take it we're going to be away from Konoha for a long time?" Naruto asked.

"A month at most," Shikaku replied.

"Got it."

Shikaku handed each of them documents that contained more details of their mission.

"You're dismissed."

Naruto hesitated, wondering whether now would be a good time to ask, but he was going to be gone for a month and wanted to get permission first.

"Tsunade-sama?" he asked.

She glanced at him and said, "Yes?"

"I apologize if this isn't the proper time, but about the new jutsu I told you about? The one I worked with Jiraiya and Asuma-sensei? Did you think about approving it? I would like to know before I go on this mission since I'll be gone for a month from Konoha."

She nodded. "Ah. Your rasen-shuriken. Yes, I'm approving it after the hard work you put into developing it, but only on the condition that you use it along with sage mode because of the toll it takes on your body."

He grinned at her. "Thank you!"

She smiled back at him indulgently. "But don't go blasting everyone with your new weapon."

"Oh, don't worry! I won't!" he answered. "Now I can finally tell Fugaku you've approved it and he'll be really happy to hear that."

"He will," she agreed.

Naruto bowed at her and then at Shikaku. He turned to go and headed for the doors, expecting Hinata to do the same, but the Hokage and her advisor asked her to stay.

He turned to his new partner. "See you, Hinata."

"Naruto," she replied with a slight bow.

He nodded instead to everyone and left the room, a puzzled expression on his face.

* * *

"Hinata, before you go, can you stay a few minutes?" Tsunade said.

"Of course," Hinata replied. She held her arms to the side and waited for the Hokage to speak again.

"Have you talked to Neji?" she said.

Hinata shook her head. "Not yet, Hokage-sama, but I know that he's back in the village from his latest mission."

Tsunade and Shikaku exchanged significant looks. Tsunade pierced her with an intense gaze. "Make sure you check in on him when you can."

Hinata gazed calmly at the two of them. "It sounds serious. Yes, I'll find him as soon as I get done here."

"Good," Tsunade said with a satisfied smile.

"If I may, Hokage-sama, Shikaku-sama, will you be needing my other skills for this mission?"

Tsunade shook her head quickly. "No, Hinata. It's too risky while both of you are in the area. If you were by yourself, I wouldn't hesitate, but there are too many variables this time. I just wanted you two to confirm the rumors first and then we'll act from then."

"Understood," Hinata said. "Will there be anything else?"

"Nothing more, Hinata. You'll be leaving in two days time so just get ready," Shikaku added. "And talk to Neji."

"Thank you," she said.

She bowed and let herself out of the room.

For some reason, Hinata felt relieved that she wasn't going to be doing an assasination attempt this time. Working with a partner always made her slightly nervous. She infinitely preferred working alone because it was less complicated.

Solo missions were easily executed when she didn't have anybody to depend on but herself.

This time, though, she would be working closely with somebody unfamiliar—and for a long period of time, too. Her longest team mission, yet. She wondered if she would be able to handle it, but self-doubt eased when she remembered that it was just a _regular_ mission.

She was glad it wasn't a mission involving a targeted killing.

As the Hokage had said, there were just too many unpredictable things to deal with—particularly with this man she hadn't seen in many years and had never worked with.

Naruto Uzumaki. She frowned slightly. What did she remember about him? Not much, only that they'd been together in the same class at the Academy.

He'd changed, of course. He was older, but he was still friendly and cheerful. There was a new maturity in his aura that had been different from the boy she'd known then.

She paused. It would be interesting to work with Naruto on this mission.

But first, she needed to find Neji. She went home and changed into her favorite dark jeans and a black turtleneck. As she asked people around the compound, she wondered if her cousin was okay. She finally found him in the room used for _shoudo_ practice. He was packing up the rest of his calligraphy brushes, but he turned his head when he heard her.

"Do you want to go grab dinner with me, Neji? Hanabi's out on her mission and I want company."

Neji wanted to refuse, but she looked determined. It seemed he wouldn't be able to shake her so he nodded his head.

"Somewhere quiet, though, Hinata."

"Yes, of course. I know just the place."

They walked down the streets of Konoha, neither of them talking until a voice called out her name.

Sakura was waving at her across the street.

Hinata waved back to Sakura, who had her other arm around Sasuke's. Sasuke glanced at her and nodded. She made no move to approach the couple, so Sakura smiled in understanding and tugged at Sasuke's arm.

"See you around, Hinata!" she called out with another friendly wave and the couple moved on.

"That was kind of rude of you," Neji said.

Hinata shook her head. "No," she said. "Sakura's cool like that. She knows me enough to understand that if I don't want to chitchat, she won't press."

"That's good, I guess," Neji said. "I'm glad you're making friends."

"Friends," Hinata murmured under breath. She guessed they were. Though they weren't close, most of the girls of her class seemed to not mind her reserved and quiet nature. They had even invited her along to their outings whenever they ran into each other in town.

She'd always wanted to refuse, but in the face of Sakura's, Ino's and Tenten's teasing, she'd usually tagged along with them for dinner or the occasional night out for drinks. She often wondered why they always invited her when she would just normally sit back, watch them obviously enjoy each other's company, and listen to them speak. She was hardly the most fun person at these things.

The cousins entered the soba restaurant, found a booth, and ordered their meals. Again, the silence between them stretched out, but they weren't bothered by it.

Hinata looked at Neji and was forthright. "Tsunade-sama said I needed to talk to you. Is there a problem?"

Neji humphed, but the smile on his face was genuine. "Blunt, but it works. I've asked her for a leave of absence."

She frowned. "A break?"

"Yes, just for a little while."

"What did she say?"

"She granted me time."

"For how long?"

"As long as I need to, she said."

"Oh," Hinata said, quiet as she pondered this surprising news.

Neji smiled at her and reached for the teapot. He poured them both a cup each.

As he passed her the tea, he said, "I've also been going to the Yamanaka's."

Hinata hid her surprise and again she said nothing. She reached for her tea and took a sip, waiting for Neji to continue.

"I wanted to get some help. I've been hallucinating recently and I wanted their advice."

Hinata abruptly put her tea down and took a deep breath. "Hallucinations?"

Neji smiled and was about to say more but their order came. They waited until the shop clerk slid the door to their booth closed to continue their conversation.

"Don't be so surprised. It happens to everyone, Hinata, to even the best of shinobi, not just to people like us."

She nodded.

Neji continued, "I've been seeing faces mostly, and it's usually when I'm agitated that I see them dying again."

Hinata looked at her noodles but her appetite was gone.

Neji's eyes pierced her. "You, too, right?"

"I'm seeing blood on my hands," she whispered. She couldn't lie to her cousin.

"How long? When did they start?"

"This year, since Hanabi became chuunin. I…" She took a deep breath, then continued. "Sometimes, I don't want to touch her because I feel like I might contaminate her."

Neji looked at her for a long time.

"Hinata, you should go see the Yamanakas, too. Ino's a friend, isn't she? Maybe you can talk to her? Start there."

Hinata shook her head. "No, I can deal with it myself."

But cold was seeping into her blood. She willed her fingers to stop shaking. She picked up her chopsticks and forced herself to eat. She concentrated on the coolness of the noodles, the chewiness of the dough.

"Hinata, there's no shame in getting help. Even your father said so," Neji said gently, reassurance in his voice.

"Neji, _I'm_ fine," she said, raising her voice slightly. "Drop it. This isn't about me. This is about _you_. So go ahead, I'm listening."

Neji noted the tense shoulders, the tightness around her mouth and recognized his cousin's stubbornness settling into her being. "Okay, Hinata, but you'll need to find a way to deal with it, too. Just know that I don't think any less of you if you seek help to deal with the hallucinations."

He picked up his chopsticks and lifted a few strands of the cool noodles, dipped them into the soy sauce, and brought them to his lips. He chewed quietly and stared at Hinata's bowed head. She hadn't reacted to his advice, she was still steadily working on her soba.

"Do you think I'm weak because I'm admitting all this to you?"

She looked up quickly at that and shook her head. "No, Neji! Never!"

Neji smiled. "See? It's all about getting help when we need it."

Hinata paled for a moment, but she rallied with an excuse. "I-I'm busy. I've got a mission coming up and I won't have time because I'll be away from Konoha for maybe a month."

She opted for a smile. "I'm sure I'll be fine. It doesn't happen _all_ the time. I only see the hallucinations once every other month, if that. I'm _okay_ , Neji."

He sighed. "Hinata, find me when you come back from this mission. Let's talk more about this then. I'll tell you how it's going with me and my meeting with the Yamanakas. Is that okay with you?"

It wasn't. She didn't want to talk about it at all, but her love for her cousin won out. "Sure," she said, her voice flat.

He snorted. "Why do I get the feeling that you're going to be avoiding me when you're back?"

Hinata remained quiet and scrunched up her face. She wanted to avoid him, but they were byakugan users. There was no way she would be able to hide from him.

Instead, she ignored his question and asked one of hers. "What are you going to do on this break?"

Unexpectedly, he laughed. "My father wants us to go to a beach, maybe to Kumo and try to get some peace and relaxation."

She looked at him like he'd grown two heads. "A beach?"

He was still grinning. "Yes, I know, for some _relaxation_. You know, something fun."

The glance she threw him was dubious, but she said, "With Uncle Hizashi there, you guys should enjoy yourselves."

"Actually, I'm really looking forward to it."

She had nothing to add to that, so she silently finished her noodles and waited for her cousin to finish his.

They left the restaurant and headed home, both still quiet, lost in thought at each other's revelations. Hinata appreciated Neji telling her his problems. She felt slightly better that she wasn't the only one who was seeing things.

He, meanwhile, recognized signs of denial from her and it made him worried.

More than him, he knew that Hinata's sense of responsibility was greater. She tended to take things too seriously and shouldered too much on her slim shoulders. That original pact they'd had when they'd been younger had only been at _his_ instigation. She'd been prepared to push herself in order to prevent Hanabi from being the appointed assassin. And she would have succeeded if he hadn't convinced her to accept his help.

He really hoped she would get help before things got really bad.

Abruptly, she stopped and laid a hand on his arm, disrupting his thoughts.

"Thanks for telling me, Neji," she said. "I love you, you know. You've always been such a great older brother to me."

He smiled at her. "Hinata, I feel the same about you, but I think I like Hanabi better because she's not so gloomy like you."

She laughed then, the sound lighthearted, and he realized he hadn't heard her laughter in a while. She hardly ever did that anymore, not since she'd been added to the list.

* * *

On the day they were meant to depart, Hinata met Naruto at the gates early that morning. They were wearing their mission gear but they quickly decided that halfway through the journey, they were going to change into the clothes that fit their roles.

He'd taken a look at the rough cloak Tsunade had sent to him and knew he was meant to be uncomfortable with the whole thing.

He turned his attention to Hinata, who walked silently beside him, her eyes and face forward.

He didn't really know anything about her aside from what he'd remembered from their academy days. After graduating, he'd been off with Asuma and his teammates doing genin missions. He'd sometimes run into her in town, but they'd never really chatted. He would usually wave at her. She would bow in response and then he'd be on his merry way to do whatever.

After that, Jiraiya had spirited him away to develop his sage mode and he hadn't heard anything about her from anyone. From what he knew about the Hyuugas, they were one of the most mysterious clans in Konoha. He'd really had not much contact with her apart from their time at the academy. All he knew was that she was a nice, quiet girl who didn't really stand out in a crowd.

She'd been in the middle of the pack when they'd finished school, neither at the top nor at the bottom with her grades. Her shinobi skills didn't really distinguish her at all from the rest of his classmates.

Again, she was just average, easily blending into the background most times.

Even now, she was quiet, her chakra was very subdued and muted. Some girls, like Sakura and Ino, vibrated a very lively energy that he immediately picked up on. But Hinata's energy was low, almost non-existent.

"You feel it, too?" Kurama asked.

As Naruto walked, he kept up the conversation with the beast.

_Yeah, it's weird. It's like she's erasing her chakra signature. There's nothing...distinctive about it. She just kind of blends with everything, you know?_

"Yes," Kurama said, equally as puzzled. He hadn't met many humans who had that ability. But he was more curious as to _why_ she needed to do it, though. He had a suspicion, but he didn't know whether it was his place to tell anything to Naruto.

Hinata seemed content to remain wordless during the _entire_ journey.

Unfortunately, Naruto was a talker and he needed to say something because the silence was stretching on forever without end. It made him uncomfortable so he did the only thing he knew to do: open his mouth and talk.

"So!" he said suddenly and he winced when he heard how loud and awkward he was being.

She, meanwhile, only glanced at him without any surprise.

"Yes, Naruto?" she asked.

"What's up?"

"Smooth," came Kurama's snarky voice.

He wanted to curse at the beast but Hinata was looking at him expectantly.

"What have you been up to these last few years? I've been away mostly from Konoha so I haven't heard anything about what you've been up to."

This time she raised her brows. "Does it matter?"

Good question, he thought.

"Well, yes," he said with a friendly smile. "We're catching up. After all, we went to school together and we live in the same village. We're both shinobi, although we've never really worked together, which makes me wonder why?"

She was quiet and didn't reply.

So she wasn't taking the bait. Instead, she waited for him to continue.

He grinned at her. Jiraiya would like her. Maybe she'd done some intel work before? One of the tactics that Jiraiya had taught him was that expectant silence, quietly waiting, had a way of forcing people to talk—as he was doing right now.

"But that's not really why I'm asking about you. I'm just curious about your life. I don't think I'm prying? We've got some kind of connection to each other, you know."

"Connection," she repeated under her breath. She glanced at him again. "Being in the same class at the academy is enough of a connection for you?"

Naruto was startled. When she put it in that way, it _did_ seem kind of flimsy, but he was a friendly creature and flimsy threads of connection were enough for him.

He grinned at her. "Yup! For me, it is."

She frowned slightly, but then her expression cleared. "Oh, that's right. We're just killing time, to pass away the hours before we actually get to the mission. Getting to know each other. Small talk. Chit-chat."

He laughed. "Sure!"

He waited a while as she thought of her answer.

"While you were away, I worked," she said. "I'm shinobi, after all."

"That's it? You worked?" he said with a teasing smile.

"Is there anything else?"

Another good point.

"Family? Friends? Boyfriend? _Life_? Anything interesting happen to you since we graduated from the Academy?"

She pondered the question for a minute. Answering that question honestly would reveal too much about her situation. Instead, she said, "Nothing important. I do what I need to do every day."

Then she fell back again to silence.

Okaaaaay, Naruto thought. She was going to be one tough nut to crack.

For some reason, it fired his interest, making his grin even brighter.

He loved a challenge.

* * *

_I have a demon inside me._

Hinata suddenly recalled the words he'd uttered to her long ago, words that had never left her. It had resonated with her, seemed appropriate for the both of them. From what she could deduce, he seemed to have tamed that demon, if it really _had_ been a demon.

She looked at him sideways then slid her eyes forward again.

Who _was_ he, Naruto Uzumaki?

What she knew she only heard from her father or from Shikaku-sama. Even then, none of his exploits had had no bearing on her life.

Shikaku had only mentioned in passing that he might be the strongest shinobi that Konoha had, and that was something she could admire. But she'd never seen him work or done anything that had caught her interest. Even her father had commented that he would be an asset to Konoha someday, that Hiashi was looking forward to the future of what Naruto would become.

"Ah, one more shinobi with sage power for Konoha," her crusty grandfather had said, a pleased expression on his face. "Jiraiya _and_ Naruto," he said, rubbing his hands in glee.

They continued to walk and she pondered his words to her.

Connections.

Really?

They were connected by virtue of being classmates and citizens of Konoha.

Still. It just seemed such a feeble relationship.

She didn't really know him. Yes, they'd been at the academy together, but they'd never been close. Hinata knew him as a very popular boy, he made friends easily. She recalled their earliest conversation and remembered him sharing too much information on the first day she'd ever met him.

But Hinata could never forget how kind he'd been to her, had approached a lone girl on a bench. He'd been concerned about her, the only one at school who had asked her why she'd been sitting by herself on that first day at the Ninja Academy.

She glanced sideways again at him and caught him staring at her. She was startled to find him doing so and he flashed her another one of his friendly smiles. She found herself responding in a similar fashion, lifting her lips slightly, the smile lingering longer than she normally let it.

His eyes widened and his smile stretched into a full-blown grin.

Still, Hinata didn't say anything because she didn't really know what else to say to him. So she turned her attention back to the road, eyes and ears alert for any danger that might come up.

On previous missions, regular missions where she'd been on teams, the others had usually carried on conversations and she'd been expected to jump in whenever she felt like it. Nobody pressured her to talk.

Naruto, though, seemed to feel differently. He asked her a lot of personal questions she didn't want to answer. She also didn't feel the need to keep up useless chatter when she'd rather be silent and contemplate things in her head—startling things, like how he made her feel suddenly uncomfortable.

For the moment, he seemed to understand that she didn't feel like talking and left her to her silence. Instead, he contented himself by humming.

Eventually, though, he spoke again, mostly about things that held no interest for her. This time, it seemed he didn't need her to respond to him so she remained quiet. She let him drone on, talk his heart out while she listened with half an ear and watched the road for any signs of enemy attack.

* * *

Hinata just didn't respond to _anything_.

Naruto wanted to give up. He knew he should shut up because he was getting tired from talking, from trying to come up with a topic that would pique her interest. Still, her eyes didn't glance back at him.

But he just couldn't stop talking, spurred by something he didn't fully understand. Something perverse inside him wanted to get a reaction out of her. So he doubled his efforts and blurted out whatever he felt like saying, not filtering anything.

But nothing worked.

She kept silent, stoic, her attention never wavered from facing forward.

"She's a strange creature," came Kurama's voice.

 _Yeah, Kurama. I can't figure it out. She's not as talkative as other people, and she seems like she's listening. She's paying attention, I think. But she's making it_ seem _like she's not listening?_

"It's like what Jiraiya said, isn't it? Like she's listening for things that might be of importance later, like she's shifting through information."

 _It is,_ Naruto said. _She's a pretender, then? Like an actress? It seems like she's got this cloak around her, too, that she puts on to make sure nobody pries into her business. It's quite good._

"Yes, so we don't know anything about her yet," Kurama said. "Maybe she'll loosen up when we're in the middle of the mission. You haven't seen her in a while and she doesn't really know you, either."

 _True_ , Naruto agreed. _We'll wait and make our conclusions once we see her in action._

"Yep," the beast said.

_But still, that doesn't mean I can't try to crack her stoic facade with my smooth and intelligent conversation._

"Intelligent!" Kurama snorted with a snide laugh. "Good luck with that. I hope you end up getting your ass kicked."

He never knew how profound that hope would become.


	13. A Mission, Some Tea, and a Festival

**Chapter 13: A Mission, Some Tea, and A Festival**

As soon as they were at the halfway point, Hinata excused herself and went to change out of her uniform.

His eyes followed her as she headed a few yards away from him into the thickest part of the clearing.

Then he quickly turned around to keep watch and scanned for any threats.

She emerged a few minutes later in a simple, but elegant, black dress. It was casual, but even for him, who hardly paid attention to fashion, it looked expensive and tailor-made. It fit her body perfectly, hugging every curve, and he was tempted to keep on looking. He quickly slid his gaze to his bag to hide the fact that he'd been checking her out far longer than he should have.

He sighed, though, as he brought out a rough, brown cloak and shook it to release the wrinkles. "I guess I have to get into my disguise, too."

A few minutes later, he came out of the clearing, the same one she'd just been in, muttering, "Assistant, my ass. I'm basically a servant, then."

She stood waiting for him. A flicker of amusement quickly danced over her face but she tilted her head to the side in agreement.

It was gone in a flash, but Naruto had caught it, made him still his movements so he could stare at her face and search for it again, willing it to reappear.

But her eyes gave away nothing, only continued looking at him until one of her brows flicked up slightly in question. He'd stared long enough to make him feel rude for doing so.

"Sorry!"

She turned around, picked up her bag, and started walking again.

They arrived at their destination an hour later.

Isetan was a small village straddled by two large countries, the Fire Country to the north and the Village of the Mist to the west. It was a large enough town where people could hide, but small enough to escape severe scrutiny from Konoha. Lots of people were going in and out through this bustling trade post. With the constant activity, they both saw how perfect the town was in hiding anything that would threaten Konoha.

The people themselves were a bit rough, but since most were businessmen, they could be made to talk when money greased the negotiations.

They walked through the town and he watched as she discreetly scanned the town with her byakugan.

"I've worked with one of you Hyuugas before," he said as he also swept his gaze back and forth to observe the people. "I think his name was Koh? We were together only for a couple of days last month. Me and another shinobi named Sai. There'd been a flood and were sent to rescue some people stuck in their homes."

Without pausing in her scanning, she replied. "I heard about that, yes."

Nothing seemed suspicious at first glance. Like all trading towns, Isetan had the same air of busy-ness and the liveliness that marked it as a place for commerce.

At their hotel, Hinata's room became the hub of their operation. They brainstormed about the mission, with Naruto telling her about his abilities while she shared her own skills.

Hinata then ordered them a meal when they realized they were hungry and needed lunch.

He shoveled more rice into his mouth and watched her bowed head as she pored over the list of potential suspects that Shikaku had given them. Her own meal remained half-eaten on the table. But she placed the list down and picked up a map of the town.

"So today you'll hit the west part of town, and I'll get the east? Tomorrow we'll work on north and south?" she asked as she suddenly lifted her head and snared him in her gaze.

Lavender eyes.

Her stare was clear and direct. He froze momentarily then swallowed his food.

Damn, he'd forgotten that he'd thought her eyes were really pretty when he'd been younger.

"Yes," he said in answer to her question.

She nodded, reached for her plate, and absently took a bite of food. But she looked back down at the files in her hands, committing the map to memory.

* * *

Later that night, they were back again in her room. Hinata stood by the window and scanned as far as her byakugan range allowed her. From what she could see, no major weapons were stockpiled within the town itself. It didn't mean that they weren't hidden, though.

They ate dinner together. She was telling him all about the information she'd gathered while she scoped out the people as she supposedly went shopping. While she pretended to look for tea goods and clothes, she kept her ears alert for any type of news. In a market town like this, money usually talked. Still though, none of the businessmen seemed overly suspicious.

"Yeah, I didn't get anything either," he said.

He plopped down on the tatami mat after he'd said it and Hinata felt a brief flare of annoyance as she watched him close his eyes, roll his shoulders a couple times, yawn, then stretch his arms out.

They were still working, and she wished he was still sitting so she could look him in his eyes. She preferred the direct gaze because she felt it gave them a semblance of professionalism.

He rolled over to his side to face her, leaned up to place his head on his hand, and asked, "Anybody we can rule out as a suspect you, think?"

A work question asked so lazily.

She chewed on her lower lip and resisted the urge to tell him to sit up properly but said, "No, not at this point."

He said nothing else, only stared at her mouth.

 _What was he doing?_ she thought as she stopped her bad habit.

Then her brow cleared.

Oh, that's right. She remembered that others didn't work the same way she did.

Maybe they were both tired and needed to rest. It had been a long journey, after all.

So she nodded and said, "Alright, that's it for today then. We'll regroup again tomorrow morning."

Luckily, he got the point that she was dismissing him.

Reluctantly, he got up. He smiled at her before saying, "Good-night, Hinata."

She sent him a short bow. Then he turned around and walked out of her room.

What a strange man, she thought, as she got ready for bed.

* * *

They were at opposite sides of the town the next morning.

She, with her expensive clothing, stood out, and she felt a couple of eyes following her as she made an initial circuit in the main part of the village. She made a mental note to talk to Naruto that night. For the sake of appearances, it might be better to work together instead of apart.

She was a walking target. If people approached her while she was by herself, she had to pretend to be weak, then try to defend herself if she were to be assaulted. She knew she could easily kill her attackers, but still. Hinata would prefer not to do that, but her instinct to protect herself might cause her to give herself away.

Instead, Hinata only visited a couple of the shops she felt were appropriate for a woman of her supposed position. She stayed indoors talking business with the clerks. She was trying to figure out how the money flowed in and out of this particular town, which businesspeople had the contacts and the power. Usually, people with power were the ones who most likely would cling and ruthlessly keep their positions up top.

"I know this is sudden," she said as she approached one of the employees. "But I'm wondering if you guys have bracelets? I lost mine on the way here and I wanted to replace it."

She sat in the plush chair while the store attendants brought out tea and cakes to pamper her while offering her a choice of jewelry. She heard one of the managers mention something about a Mr. Nayoro who was _the_ prominent businessman in town.

The hushed way they said it, and the slight hesitation when they mentioned the name caught her interest.

She smiled coolly at everyone and continued drinking her tea.

* * *

Naruto, meanwhile, floated freely throughout the town. It was enough of a truth to pretend to be a tourist, asking a lot of seemingly innocent questions that hardly aroused the suspicions of the shopkeepers and local residents.

For the most part, his friendly demeanor disarmed them and he was able to find out information about some of the more famous people in town. The name that kept coming up from the people was _Nayoro_.

He returned to the hotel room at the appointed hour and knocked on Hinata's door.

She sat seiza style in front of the table, scribbling on a piece of paper.

He smiled at her and was pleasantly surprised that her lips tilted up briefly in response.

Naruto sat across from her and remembered to keep his posture straight.

Inwardly, he grinned.

He hadn't missed the chilly way she'd made her displeasure felt last night when he'd made the mistake of, god forbid, _resting_ while in her presence.

She rattled off a couple of names that she'd heard today and they both came to the same conclusion.

"Nayoro seems like our guy."

"Most likely," she agreed.

"Tomorrow, we'll try one of the shops he runs and see if we can see anything there."

She nodded. Then she focused her lavender gaze on him. "We should probably stick together as much as possible. I really don't want to waste my energy trying to defend myself from any unwanted attacks. I'm supposed to be non-shinobi so I need to pretend I can't fight. If anybody attacks me, I can hold back and not hurt them _too_ much. All the same, I'd prefer not to invite that situation in the first place."

His eyes flicked over the delicate features of her face and winced at the thought of anyone laying a hand on her. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Next time I'll go with you and we'll do it together. I _am_ your bodyguard after all."

"Thank you." She reached for her pencil again to make more notes, and her gaze locked on to a slender, red box lying on top of the table.

He saw the logo and asked, "Did you buy some jewelry for yourself today?"

Naruto was startled by the brief flare of happy chakra. A smile formed, then lingered on her face as she continued to stare at the box.

Then her presence became muted again as she looked up at him and shook her head. "It's a bracelet. I'm giving it to my sister when we get home."

Without looking at him, she took the jewelry box and carefully packed it into her bag.

* * *

He stuck to her like glue the next day and followed her around town as they gathered their information discreetly. She continued to hit the more expensive shops while he either stood guard outside and watched the townspeople. Or, if there was something seedy about the establishment, he'd join her inside the shop and pretended to be her bodyguard, hovering over her.

For the most part, she kept quiet, barely talking to him, and only nodded at him occasionally. She was doing a really good job being the snooty high-class woman she was supposed to be—and treating him like the lowly servant he was pretending to be.

Naruto found it a little irksome, not really sure whether she was acting or not. Most likely she was acting, but he just wasn't sure. The few days they'd been working together, he realized that he really didn't know _how_ to read her because she was so strange, so different from the women who mattered in his life.

Was she like Mikoto? No freaking way. His mother was _nice_.

Like Sakura then? Nope. Sakura teased him back whenever he flirted.

How about Kurotsuchi? Definitely not. _She_ was affectionate...and touchy, he thought with a fond smile.

Tsunade-sama?

He paused. Maybe. Hinata had the same unflinching way the Hokage reacted to most things. And now that he thought more about it, the two were also similar in the way they were always laser-focused with work.

He shuddered. Yes, they were working this mission together, and he understood the seriousness of the situation, but he really hoped she wouldn't be as bad as a slave driver as Tsunade.

"Naruto?" she was calling his name.

He blinked at her guiltily. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Her eyebrows drew together briefly in a spurt of annoyance.

Whoops.

But he grinned anyway and looked around. So far, their cover was still safe. Nobody had bothered to approach them at all or questioned their appearance in the village.

They came to the steps of the final store they had planned to hit that day. This one dealt with textiles, or more specifically, patterns for textiles.

Nayoro's main business dealt primarily with fabric, the exporting and importing of it into the city, putting him in contact with lots of suppliers and buyers for different kinds of cloth.

They'd settled on the pretext that Hinata was going to buy some cloth to be used for some of their packaging for the Hyuuga teas.

The storefront gleamed shiny, with a chic and urban design carved right above the door. Here, they sold fabric to a more exclusive type of clientele such as dignitaries and daimyos.

Naruto held the door open for her and gestured her in.

A young lady impeccably dressed in a uniform bowed low. When she straightened up, her voice was deferential. "Welcome. Honored guest, what can I do for you today?"

Hinata inclined her head regally and smiled coolly at her, rebuffing the girl's efforts to help. She sent a quick nod to Naruto, who took up his cue and started chatting up the clerk. She turned away and started wandering through the store and the shelves that were on display.

Hinata pretended to look at the print designs while she scanned through the walls beyond the showroom with her byakugan and searched for anything that could give them clues.

She saw a space in the back clearly marked as an office. On the wall, right above a heavy safe was a space carved deep into the plaster.

Interesting, she thought and probed some more.

Inside, there was a flat, rectangular object. It looked like a notebook.

Something that they needed to check out later.

She deactivated her byakugan and was startled to feel him right at her back. She'd been concentrating too much on what was inside that safe that she hadn't noticed him come up to stand behind her.

"Did you find anything?" he murmured, voice low.

She nodded slightly. "I'll let you know when we're out," she whispered.

Then she picked up a bolt of cloth and ran her palms all over the geodesic patterns across the fabric. It was flashier than she'd liked, but the vibrant orange color and the silver patterns were interesting.

In a loud voice, she declared, "This is a beautiful design."

The clerk quickly approached them. "Yes, that is the work of Hiroko Takahashi. Perhaps you've heard of her? She designs mostly kimonos."

"Oh, yes," Hinata said casually. "I thought I recognized her work. I haven't worn a kimono in a while, but this design looks similar to the ones I have in my closet."

The salesgirl barely held on to her composure and struggled to hide her surprise. _Ones,_ the woman had said—as in this customer owned _many_. One kimono designed by Takahashi cost as much as a year of her salary.

She cleared her throat, hoping for a sale and the large commission that came with it. "Are you interested in purchasing this?"

Hinata tilted her head to the side. "Yes, I think I'd like just this one bolt for now."

The clerk smiled. The whole thing! Wow.

She then turned her attention to Naruto, ran a look down his rough cloak with a pained expression on her face, and asked, "And are you also interested in buying some kimono fabric for your boyfriend?"

Hinata blinked just as she felt Naruto stiffen beside her.

She frowned slightly.

Boyfriend?

She was about to correct the girl's mistake, but he interrupted.

"Oh, everybody makes that mistake. I'm here to run her errands and fetch her things," he said with a disarming smile at the salesgirl. "I'm just her assistant. I need to make sure she doesn't go over budget when she makes a purchase," he whispered conspiratorially.

Disappointment and doubt crossed the girl's face, but she said, "Understood. If you'll follow me to the counter? I can ring this up for you."

They made their purchase and Hinata pointed to a poster tacked to the wall.

"What's this charity event?"

"It's a party thrown by Mr. Nayoro to raise money for the homeless."

 _Bingo_ , Hinata thought.

"Is it too late to buy tickets for the dinner then?" Naruto asked as he read the information on the poster.

"Oh, I'm sure there could be room for a couple more people," the girl responded happily. "If it's for charity, Mr. Nayoro would love your help."

"Okay, we'll see how our schedule works out while we're here and maybe I'll give you a call to purchase a couple tickets to make our donations."

"Thank you, sir," the clerk said sunnily as she slid the receipt over the counter for Hinata to sign.

"And I assume you can deliver anywhere?" Hinata asked as she picked up the pen.

"Yes, we do."

"Please send my purchase to Konoha," Hinata said, scrawling her name over the piece of paper.

A slight widening of the girl's eyes and wariness seeped into her being. "Konoha?"

 _Double bingo,_ Hinata thought with satisfaction.

"Yes," Naruto said with another engaging smile. "To the Hyuugas."

There was relief in the clerk's expression. She'd heard of them. The Hyuugas ran a tea business. That was all there was to it.

"Of course."

* * *

"You know, now that I think about it," Naruto said as they walked out of the shop, "maybe we should've used that cover instead. It would be _so_ much easier if I were your boyfriend."

"No."

He laughed. She really was determined to remain a mystery to him. But he wasn't offended. He'd just wanted to see what her reaction would be to his teasing. As expected, she wasn't having it.

"People won't give you information if they think we're romantically involved, if we were _close_ ," she mused out loud, her tone analytic.

"True." But he'd enjoyed that brief flare of confusion on her face when the salesgirl had made her mistaken assumption about them.

They grabbed dinner together, stopping by a store to get a couple of packed meals and went back to the hotel to discuss what they'd found out today.

She told him about finding the safe in the office and what she suspected it might be. They agreed to try to steal into the office to examine that item at a later date, after they made more trips to Nayoro's other stores.

When dinner was done, Hinata drew out a piece of paper and handed it to Naruto.

It was a copy of a letter from Hiashi Hyuuga addressed to one of the clan's contacts in the area.

He glanced at her in question.

"It's not _directly_ related to the mission, but I need you to come with me to make a contract negotiation," Hinata said. "Tomorrow, we've got something else to do besides the Nayoro business."

* * *

Hinata woke up, more agitated than she would ever admit. Her conversation last week with Neji still left her unsettled and last night, the hated nightmares had come back. She'd been able to doze fitfully after the first one, but another one had just woken her up.

She looked at her hands and breathed a sigh of relief. They were clean. She got up and changed into loose clothing.

Hinata opened the curtains to her room and watched the sunlight stream in, filling her with a little bit of quietude as she soaked in the warmth.

She then walked to the middle of the room.

She planted her feet firmly on the floor, took a deep breath, and began.

Every day, she still did the exercises that Uncle Hizashi had taught her all those years ago.

Before everything had happened.

He'd been right. They helped calm her, kept her centered as she concentrated on just breathing, on just being able to experience the energy flow through her, making her forget as much as she could.

Slowly, deliberately, her arms reached up as she breathed in. Then she lowered them again as she breathed out.

On and on, the same repetitive motions. The only sound in the room was her breath as energy churned within, as her soul quieted.

Palms out, raise them to the sky, meeting overhead. Breath in.

Lower palms, lean forward, breath out.

Arms up, forward fold, rounded hips, palms lowered to the ground, sway.

Inflow, outflow.

Hinata let the movements guide her, her morning routine so firmly planted that she could do them without thought. She flowed through each gesture smoothly, evening her breathing as she took them.

And with each breath, she silently prayed in her soul.

Forgive me.

_Forgive me._

* * *

Naruto felt her move. It was faint, but at first, he felt the restless, unsettled energy coming from her room. Then it quieted.

He closed his eyes, gathered all the natural energy he could, and waited until he'd activated his sage mode. Eyes still shut, he lay on the bed and reached out to sense, to check if she was fine. In his mind's eye, he sensed her hazy figure standing in the middle of her room.

She seemed okay. She was also moving.

Eventually, he recognized a pattern to her movements.

She was lifting her arms then lowering them, in tune to her slow, relaxed breathing. Smooth, lithe gestures, as if flowing through exercises. Today, her chakra was more distinct, and he actually felt it through the walls.

It was different from what she normally projected when they were together.

This energy was stronger, filled with life. Calm, but vibrant.

_What is she doing, Kurama?_

Kurama paused before answering, "It's an ancient form of exercise, of moving your energy through the body."

_Her chakra seems different today._

"Yes, this explains it. She can somehow manipulate the intensity and control how much she shows everyone. Interesting."

_Why, though?_

"Not sure, Naruto."

But Kurama knew, of course. He just didn't know if it was something he was supposed to mention to him.

The beast sighed.

Sometimes, he hated staying in one being all the time. There was no one to talk to when things like these, _human_ things, intruded into his peace of mind.

* * *

Hinata wore a loose white shirt and a black skirt today, more casual than the formal dresses she'd been wearing. Still, though, there was no denying the quality in the fabric and cut.

It made him aware again of her womanly shape, the way the skirt flared at her waist and ended at her knees. He could see her dainty toes peeking through the sandals.

She'd insisted he wear the same rough garment he'd been wearing even though they itched like crazy. It made him frown.

"Do I really have to wear this the entire time? I mean, we're going to be out of town?" he asked, pointing to the green and brown frock. "It's so uncomfortable!"

"You're _supposed_ to be uncomfortable. You can't stand out too much," she said with a serene expression on her face.

"Fine."

"This time, we're going to do something for my clan so try not to get in the way. You don't have to do anything. Just watch respectfully from a foot away."

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He stepped closer to her. "Like this?"

He was within an arm's length, and the scent of her wafted to him. She smelled nice, the fresh scent of soap and something else, the warm womanly scent of her essence. He looked at her with a gleam in his eyes.

But she was immune to his clumsy attempt at flirting.

She held her ground and nodded. "That's good," she answered seriously.

Damn, he thought, amused at himself for not being able to resist teasing her. Again, no bite.

He smiled instead and said, "What's the plan for today?"

"A tea farm. We're supposed to be here scoping out the different teas they have in the area. I'm a buyer for the clan, after all."

They took the path through the main village and headed towards the city gates. Pretty soon, the tightly packed homes and shops gave way to bigger and more open spaces. Naruto saw fields of rice and farms stretching before his eyes.

After about thirty minutes of walking, they reached their destination. They came to a wooden signpost that said _Tomita Farm_ with a cheerful little picture of green leaves.

"Hello!" Hinata called out. "I'm from the Hyuuga clan!"

They heard dogs barking and a bellow admonishing them to be quiet.

"Down! Yes, I'm going already!" came the voice from the main house.

A man with black hair and blue eyes came out to meet them. He frowned at Hinata when he saw her but changed his mind as he glanced at Naruto's plain clothing. He decided that his customer was not the man but the elegant-looking and better-dressed woman.

He bowed respectfully to her. "I'm Tomita."

The dogs, two chocolate labrador retrievers, had followed him outside and were sniffing around her. She knelt down to give them a pat on the head each. They licked her hands, but they growled at Naruto. He held out his palms in a friendly manner and they immediately stilled. One of the dogs jumped up, put his muddy paws at his chest, and licked at his face, making Naruto laugh.

"Down, boy!" Tomita yelled.

"It's fine. I don't mind dogs at all."

Hinata watched him but she turned to the man. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga. I believe my father sent you a message last week. I'm here to see if we can buy some of your tea plants."

"Yes, please follow me."

He led them towards a farm, where Naruto's nose was filled with the smell of fresh greenery. He watched as Hinata closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

"The leaves are budding already. It's a bit early this year, isn't it?"

Tomita looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be so knowledgeable. "Yes, two weeks. The weather's been warmer recently, so they're a bit early."

"Hmm," Hinata said. She followed Tomita to where shrubs with verdant leaves were growing.

"How many acres do you have?" she asked.

"We have two hundred acres."

"And all exclusively tea? You guys don't alternate crops?"

"Only tea. We've been in the business for centuries," he said with a little bit of an edge to his voice.

"Yes, I know that. That's why my father was interested in your plants. This area is known for heavy condensation. The tea grows differently here."

She reached out and touched one of the plants. "May I?" she asked Tomita.

Tomita nodded and Hinata snapped off a tiny branch at the topmost of the plant. She held it to the light and gently massaged the leaf.

"Sturdy, for such a young plant," she murmured to herself. "It might be more bitter than our regular plants then."

She then snapped off a leaf and held it to her nose. Her eyes widened. "Interesting. Hints of citrus." She then popped it into her mouth and chewed slowly.

Naruto kept his gaze on her face and watched her lips as she slowly worked the leaf in her mouth, getting to know the nuances of its taste.

"The bitterness isn't as strong as I thought. This citrus after taste, though…" Hinata frowned.

Suddenly, she dropped to her haunches, tucked the skirt under her legs and looked at the soil around the plant's base. She grabbed a handful and continued to roll it in her hands, feeling the texture with her fingertips.

"This soil is very damp. Is it always like this?"

"Yes," Tomita said, completely impressed. "We get a lot of rain in this particular area, even for us."

Hinata nodded then brought the soil to her nose and sniffed. "More acidic than usual. _Our_ soil has a pH of 5. This is around 6?"

"Last time we measured it, it was 6.2."

Hinata stared at the damp earth for a few moments, biting her lower lip, thinking. After a while, she stood up and faced the farmer.

"If we decide to buy some of yours, we're most likely going to be blending these plants into plain, _regular_ green tea. The quality is good, but I'm afraid the tea is a little bit too strong for what my father and grandfather prefer for the more refined matcha blend."

"That's fine. If we get the Hyuuga branding for our plants, it will definitely boost our cache in the market."

Hinata nodded. "I'll take a bushel for now and have it sent home. We'll let you know what the clan decides. You'll be hearing from us maybe a month from now."

"Of course. I would be honored."

She held out a hand. Tomita took it in his larger hand and shook it.

He glanced at Naruto.

"She's very sharp," he said, his voice admiring.

"I know."

In the few days they'd been working together, he'd recognized that about her. She might be stiff and awkward, but she was very good at her job.

* * *

"How long have you been doing this for your clan?" he asked as they walked back to the main village.

"Oh, since I've been fifteen," she answered truthfully. Her role as buyer served a double purpose. It was a good enough cover to allow her into areas where normal ninjas wouldn't be able to infiltrate openly. But it also allowed her to be intimately involved in the running of the management of the company.

"Really? To be in the family business at that age? That's quite young."

Hinata resisted the urge to snort. She'd been in the 'family business' since she'd been seven. "No, it's not."

There was a frown on his face. "If you say so."

They were just past the gates now of Isetan, walking into the village's main street, which seemed livelier than usual. All around them, the sounds of the crowd echoed. There was a festival today. There were people hawking their wares at the markets and children squealing with delight. Festive music drifted all over them.

"Do you like doing it?" Naruto asked, but he was also looking around, smiling as a couple of kids walked by with cotton candy in their hands.

She thought about it for a minute. "It's something I have to do for my clan."

"So that's a no?" He was looking at her now, his glance curious, interested.

He meant the tea business, of course, but the Hyuugas dealt with more than just tea.

How to answer that question? Not with the truth, certainly.

So she shrugged and told him another truth. "I have no opinion on it. It is what it is."

She was about to say something more but she broke off and turned her head towards the pleasant melody that had caught her ear. Her eyes drifted closed as she concentrated on the music. Then they abruptly flew open as her curiosity got the best of her.

Completely forgetting Naruto and their conversation, she followed where the sound came from and found a group of people performing a dance. They wore clothing different from the locals, and the language they were speaking was different from what she'd heard the villagers use.

Hinata watched the men perform music on drums and a stringed instrument and listened, enjoying the different beat and rhythms. Unthinkingly, her head and shoulders moved to the tempo as her eyes locked on the dancers swaying along joyfully to the music.

Naruto came up behind her, startling her. She hadn't realized she'd abruptly left him, but her interest in the music brought her to these strangers. She found the music mesmerizing, and the dance even more fascinating.

She swayed unconsciously as she listened and continued to watch.

An older man from the group saw her moving her body along to the music and said something to a younger girl with blond hair. She nodded and slid her eyes to Hinata. She grinned up at the man then approached Hinata, a hand out to beckon her.

Hinata went to them.

* * *

Naruto was surprised that Hinata did.

The young girl shook her hips and indicated that Hinata do the same. Naruto was even more surprised when Hinata copied the blond girl's movements perfectly, exactly as the dancer had just done.

The girl laughed and showed her a more complicated dance move involving steps that flowed forward and backwards. Hinata smiled and did the same exact thing. They did it several more times, the young girl giving instructions in a language they'd never heard before but Hinata seemed to understand.

Naruto watched as Hinata mimicked an entire dance from memory.

When they were done, the rest of the group clapped.

The musicians all looked at each other, grinned, then picked up their individual instruments.

The older man approached Hinata, and said, "Dance?"

She nodded just as the band struck up their song.

Naruto frowned as he watched the older man twirl her around, twisted her to match the faster beat of the music. Then they were locked in the give and take of the steps as he moved forward and she matched him as she flowed backwards, still held within the circle of his arms. But the man manipulated her body, gently pulled her closer and pressed her to his chest as the rhythm kept spurring Hinata's swaying hips, the graceful taps of her feet.

He then dipped her low as her back bowed backwards, then she came crashing straight toward the dancer's chest. But a quick twist of his arms had her twirling around his body again just as Hinata's feet circled on her tiptoes, her hair flying dizzily around her.

Grudgingly, Naruto admitted that the male dancer was good. But he didn't like the way he was holding Hinata so close to his body. Still, she didn't seem to mind, though. And he felt piqued that she didn't.

She looked like a professional dancer, and they were all impressed, especially Naruto. But what he liked watching most was not her skill, but her enjoyment of the dance.

The older man grinned at her when the audience around them clapped as soon as they stopped dancing. Hinata was smiling, still breathless from the dance.

A few moments, later the band started another song.

This time around, the beat was slower, and more sensuous. The blond girl who'd taught Hinata the dance was singing, her voice was husky and melodious, filling the air with a lamentful love song.

Other people came to watch and listen. The language was lilting up and down and Hinata closed her eyes again as the words drifted over them.

She then opened her eyes and asked the older man, "What do the words say?"

The man asked another girl to translate the words.

Just as she was about to do so, he held up a hand to stop her when he noticed Naruto frowning at them with his arms folded. The older man looked at Hinata and asked, "Your man?"

Hinata, thinking he meant her assistant, said, "Yes."

The man noted the glint in Naruto's eyes and thought differently.

He beckoned Naruto closer.

He came to a stop in front of them, but he said, "I don't really dance."

"No need," the man said. "Beautiful dance makes man look good." He then pointed to Hinata and gave Naruto simple instructions. " _She_ dance, _you_ hold."

Naruto grinned at the man, completely forgetting his earlier ire. _That_ he could do.

"Sure!" he said with enthusiasm.

The man nodded at the musicians and they started up again. The blond girl sang in her husky voice:

_You know that sometimes,_

_I think about us now and then_

_But I never want to fall again..._

Hinata stood in front of him and slowly swayed left to right, Naruto's arms loose around her waist. She didn't seem to mind. Her eyes closed, and unchoreographed, her head and shoulders dipped in tandem to the melody. Then her arms rose to rest gently on his shoulders, as she dropped her hips down then shook them slowly side to side, brushing against his thighs.

_One day you'll love me again_

_One day you'll love me for sure_

_One day you'll wake up feeling how I've been feeling_

_Baby, you'll knock at my door_

She then placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder as she circled him, her steps in time to the rhythm of the slow, sensuous music, running a hand lightly on his back. Then she was at his side, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her waist.

_One day you'll love me again_

_Have me again till to the end_

_One day you'll beg me to try_

_One day you'll realize I'm more than your lover_

_I'm more than your lover, I'm your friend_

This time, her back was to him as she swayed and danced to the music, hips whispering side to side, her butt brushing gently against his thighs. Then she threw a glance over her shoulder and met his eyes. Hers were drowsy, caught up in the sensuality of the dance, the smile on her face sultry—but open and unguarded.

He felt the vibrant energy thrumming through her, saw her true self finally revealed in her joy of the dance.

His heart dropped, his breath left him. And he felt the greatest urge to kiss her, but instead, he watched, mesmerized as she turned back and leaned her full body against him, undulated sensuously, and then the heat left him abruptly as she stepped forward and shook her hips, her skirt flaring as the rhythm of the music suddenly sped up.

His hand was still on her waist, and she laid one of hers over his as she flared her skirts up just as the girl had shown her. Then she was twirling within the circle of his arms. Hers were up, eyes closed now, but her body swaying sideways again.

Naruto found his heart soaring, his imagination actively working, picturing her in a different setting, where she was free, giving in to her emotions and surrendering to passion.

The music gradually faded and Hinata slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking deeply into his. For the first time since they'd been thrown together on this mission, she grinned at him unabashedly.

Then she sighed, the sound so content and satisfied.

"I love to dance," she said simply.

Naruto beamed back at her in return.

Deep within Naruto, Kurama watched as bright yellow flames appeared, flared into being then glowed warmly, filling his space with the boy's emotions. He felt Naruto's excitement as joy flooded into the cavern he was in and knew his vessel was already falling hard for this slip of a girl.

 _Oh, shit,_ was the beast's thought.

They were both in trouble now.


	14. Kunai

**Chapter 14: Kunai**

Hinata shivered and rubbed her arms, but she continued scanning with her byakugan as she stood atop her perch on the roof of the hotel.

She felt him climb up the side of the building and joined her a few minutes later.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked, disgruntled.

The night was cold and the clouds were out, which was why Hinata chose tonight to work outside. The absence of light, the complete darkness could at least provide some camouflage for someone who needed the shadows to work.

The city of Isetan was unusually blanketed in a hush, quiet even for this busy town.

"I just wanted to check again, just to make sure one more time."

Naruto sighed, but a glance at him revealed that he'd activated his own sage mode. The orange markings were around his eyes. He took up position behind her, facing in the opposite direction as his head swept slowly from side to side, his range greater than hers.

He was going to intrude on her silence then, joining her in observing the few moving human night owls going about their business.

The problem with the byakugan was the specificity of it. She needed to know exactly what to look for then focus and concentrate on that _one_ thing. He, meanwhile, could do a general sweep with his sage mode to pick up on anything strange.

She envied that about him.

But she envied a lot about him.

She couldn't put an exact name to it, but she wanted to have the same kind of security in his manners, the same ease that he carried with him at all times.

The few days they'd been working together, she'd never seen him lose his temper, look flustered, or feel uncomfortable about anything. He kept up his steady, cheerful attitude, and would often… tease?

Her.

Which always left her silent and stiff and awkward because she just didn't know what he expected from her. So she would answer quietly and honestly, whatever response she felt was appropriate.

But he would only laugh and continue to do it.

Why? was always her first question. Why did he do it? Why did he insist on provoking a reaction out of her?

Hinata knew he wasn't being mean, but it still puzzled her and left her questioning his motives. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? She'd thought she'd made herself clear that she wasn't the friendly type.

But she knew it was all part of being a shinobi, of being part of a team. It was fine—for now, while they were working together. After all, when they were done with this mission, they were going back to Konoha and she probably wasn't going to be with him anymore.

Whatever the reason, though, his constant teasing, his attempts to draw her out rankled, left her discomposed.

She didn't like it because it pulled her out of her serenity, of the quiet calm that she always struggled to maintain when she was around people.

So they stood atop that hotel roof, diligently working for a couple of hours, scanning, searching together for anything that would reveal Isetan's secret, whether somebody here posed a threat to Konoha or not.

Hinata kept silent, felt his steady presence behind her.

And relented.

Maybe he wasn't that bad, after all.

She felt grateful that he'd been there to keep her company for the night, to help her forget the visions that had woken her up before she'd headed up to the roof.

* * *

Hinata was back to her quiet, collected self, he realized with regret.

That grin, that open and warm smile she'd flashed him after her dance had disappeared just as completely as the festival had ended.

No matter how many times he'd tried to coax it out of her, Hinata retained her professional shinobi persona and was back to discussing the mission coolly with him.

She never volunteered anything more about herself.

So the next few days saw a pattern for them. They alternated between observing Nayoro and Hinata's cover of visiting the tea farms in the area. They'd visited a few more farms, but she'd quickly dismissed the tea growers that they'd checked out after Tomita.

"No," she explained to him. "Judging from the disregard they show to the crops they're growing, the farmers will be just as careless when it comes to supplying us. That is unacceptable for the Hyuuga clan. Sloppy farms mean shady business practices."

At least the tea from Tomita would be enough to bring home to Konoha.

The business with Nayoro progressed rapidly. They'd gone to check the hidden safe in that office and had discovered it to be a list of his customers. It seemed legitimate. Their names were clearly registered, the amounts of fabric they ordered were written plainly. Dates were also next to those orders. The earliest date stretched as far back as two years ago.

The notebook was copied then went back into the secret compartment.

They'd gone to check warehouses, counting to make sure that supplies matched the demands. They didn't. There were a few more crates than necessary. On closer inspection, Hinata found a paper seal underneath a couple of them. She tried to remember whether she'd seen those inscriptions before, but she hadn't.

She looked at Naruto.

"Where?" he asked and she pointed. He squinted, trying to read the words, then he gasped. " _This_ is why we couldn't detect it. Jiraiya told me about these things, once. It's meant to hide away the contents and the jutsu only gets released once it's matched to the bottom half of the seal. We won't know whatever is inside unless we have that exact match."

She leaned over and peered again at the words written on the seal. Her hair fluttered against his shoulder, her arm brushing against his. Again, her scent caught his nose and he finally remembered what it reminded him of: cinnamon rolls that Mikoto used to make when he'd been younger.

"So they're like summoning jutsu puzzles," she murmured as she reached out to run her fingers over them. Then she turned her head and pierced him with her eyes.

Again, he felt the breath knocked out of him with the directness of her gaze.

"We probably shouldn't rip it off, right?" she was asking. "It might make everyone suspicious."

He nodded. "Yeah, but now we have something to write to Shikaku about."

"Yes, we certainly do."

* * *

The party for Nayoro's charity event was in full swing. In a banquet hall held in the center of town, men and women chatted, ate, and drank underneath a banner that boasted how much money the event had raised for the homeless.

Naruto had talked to the sales clerk and she'd happily told them that tickets to the dinner were still available for a very hefty price. Without hesitation, Hinata had asked for two places at a table.

Despite their constant sweeping of the town, Nayoro hadn't shown up and they'd found out the cause later when the girl had come to drop off their tickets at the hotel. He'd been out of town on business.

Hinata, despite her misgivings against Nayoro, hoped that the money would really go to its rightful cause. If not, she would make sure her father would allow her to use her salary to make a contribution when they got back to Konoha.

They were grouped together around a table along with a party of eight people she'd never met. But when everyone started chatting, they found out that the people were various leaders of the community.

She sat with Naruto to her left. He was finally out of his rough disguise and in decent clothing. Grudgingly, she admitted that he looked better in the suit than in the plain frock he'd been forced to wear in public the entire time. He was happier about it, too.

During the dinner, the woman sitting to the right of her kept reaching out an arm to get Naruto's attention. The woman would ask a question and he answered it briefly. Hinata wouldn't have minded the interruptions, but the arm always crossed _in front_ of her, over her plate, which kept her from finishing her meal.

Finally, because she was still hungry, Hinata half rose from her chair, turned to the woman and said, "Would you like to switch places with me?"

The woman brightened and was about to get up to do so, but her expression was dashed by Naruto's next words.

"No, I don't think so. I'd rather you stay by my side, Hinata."

He'd said it in a tone that was cold enough to dampen the woman's enthusiasm and surprised even Hinata to make her look at him closely. Naruto only gazed at her, daring her to contradict what he'd just said. Then he reached out, placed a hand on her waist, and gently pushed her back onto her seat.

With that, the woman's arm stopped reaching across her and Hinata was finally able to enjoy her meal. She glanced at Naruto one more time, puzzled by the rare display of strong emotion. But he was frowning at his plate and didn't respond to her questioning glance. She shrugged then went back to eating her food.

She was taking a bite out of her excellent chicken when the mysterious Nayoro came onto the stage.

He was a short man, stout and balding. In his tuxedo, he looked like a penguin. He held the microphone and started speaking in a monotone voice, thanking everyone for coming to the dinner and talking about his charity. Occasionally he cracked jokes that failed to amuse the audience. But they were polite and laughed dutifully at the pauses where they were meant to do so.

Beside her, Naruto sighed. Then he placed an arm on the back of her chair, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Damn it! He looks so freaking _ordinary_. I hate it. I want him to look more evil. I wish he had a mustache he could twirl to make him look more villainous than he seems."

The image of Nayoro twirling a mustache startled a laugh out of her and she quickly raised her napkin to her mouth to smother her laughter.

But then she suddenly remembered something else. A young girl crying out, "Papa!" in a darkened bedroom.

Hinata turned her head and found his face mere inches from hers.

"Villains never look as evil as you hope they would," she said quietly.

He was still smiling, but he heard the seriousness of her tone and nodded, the amusement fading from his face. "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

Now that they had an idea of what he looked like, they carefully watched Nayoro and the subtle way he held his power over the town. The charity event, the large sums of money he lent to his other "business partners," the way he was active in the community, the donations to organizations. He held sway over most of what happened in town. It made the people beholden to him and more likely to ignore whatever wrong he perpetuated.

The reason for the rumors of revolt became clear when Naruto, his sage mode activated, noticed a couple of rough-looking men walk into town. Instantly, their hardened expressions triggered his sense of danger. He looked at their scarred hands and noticed the quick way they projected their killing intent whenever something angered them.

Shinobi, he thought, but with no head protectors that marked which country they were loyal to. He followed them and wasn't surprised to see them head straight for the warehouses.

He looked at Hinata and she nodded. They were still in their disguises and it was easy enough to pretend to be shopping, ducking into a store whenever one of the men would turn around and catch a glimpse of him and Hinata.

The shinobi entered the warehouse and Naruto and Hinata had to fall back. He pointed to a roof and they both clambered up the side of the building.

"They're right in front of the crates with the seals," she said as she looked through the walls of the warehouse with her byakugan. "They've got the matching seals. They've just opened the crates. Oh, wow."

She deactivated her byakugan and looked at him grimly. "Weapons. Lots and lots of them."

"Shit," he muttered as he felt a disturbance. "I think they're getting ready to move the boxes."

"In the middle of the day?"

"They look like ordinary crates and nobody knows what's inside. It wouldn't look that suspicious."

"Let's go."

With his Kyuubi arms, Naruto quickly attacked, knocking them out before they'd even noticed their approach. He held them down while Hinata paralyzed and blinded them when she hit their tenketsu.

She saw Naruto's frown when she did it, so she said, "It's only temporary. They'll be able to move once they wake up and I release the jutsu."

"Okay."

"Can you do a genjutsu?" she asked. "We need to make sure they don't become suspicious."

"I can't, sorry."

"Neither can I."

"That means when they wake up, they're going to know they've been attacked."

"But at least none of them saw us."

They opened up the crates, and Hinata used her byakugan to create undetectable cracks in the steel and the blades of the weapons. Hopefully, they would become useless when used for their purpose. To remain unsuspicious, the crates needed to be delivered to their buyers. They quickly cleaned up and returned everything to the way it was before.

Hinata released her jutsu and they flew out of the warehouse. Naruto kept his sage mode activated and continued scanning as they ran for the hotel. He felt them waking up just as they'd closed the door to Hinata's room.

"Do they suspect anything?" she asked.

"Yeah, and they're angry," he answered. "But I don't think they fully know what happened."

Hinata activated her byakugan and locked her gaze on the warehouse, still within her range. The figures of the shinobi were small, but she could see what they were doing. "They're checking the crates again. One of them is nodding. Looks like they're heading out...and using the main street to make their exit. They'll probably pass by our window in about fifteen minutes."

Naruto snuck a peek out the window as they passed by, the crates loaded up in carts. He didn't sense anger, only a sense of urgency.

"Right, so we've managed to damage the weapons, so that should take care of that. With the information we've copied from the notebook and all the other details we've gathered, we can probably send the message to Konoha. Shikaku can decide what to do from there."

She nodded.

* * *

The next day, they sent a letter addressed to her father, but in it, they'd included a code for the Hokage's advisor detailing all the information they'd gathered.

They waited for Shikaku's response, but stayed in the village and continued to monitor Nayoro's movements as well as visit more tea farmers in the area. Hinata debated on another possible tea supplier and unhesitatingly ordered a couple of bushels.

"My father and grandfather might say no because she's new and not a very well-known grower, but I want to give _her_ a chance," she explained to him.

They were walking back to Isetan from the last farm they'd visited, but he was holding on to the box of green tea that she'd bought from the female farmer. He'd offered to hold it for her. She'd looked at him, and he knew she wanted to refuse, but something in his face must have conveyed his determination to do this one nice thing for her because she nodded reluctantly.

"When we get back, I'll brew some tea for us," Hinata said.

For us.

He loved the sound of that, making his heart give a happy leap.

Back at her room, she brewed the tea and poured them a cup each. He sat across from her and watched as she blew the steam off her cup then peered at the tea to note its color.

Naruto tried not to stare at her puckered lips, but he unconsciously tightened his fingers around his own _yunomi_ , completely forgetting it was hot.

He released it with a yelp and spilled some of the tea onto the table. She glanced up at him with a frown.

"Naruto, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "I forgot it was hot."

He was about to get up to grab a towel to wipe at the tea that had sloshed onto the table, but she shook her head at him. She was closer to the bathroom.

Her lips pressed together in disapproval, she came back to the table holding a towel. He reached for it just as she sat down and started cleaning up the mess.

Their fingers met over the rag.

She looked down momentarily at their joined hands, his larger one covering hers, and then up into his face. "Did you want to clean it up yourself?"

 _No, I just wanted to hold your hand,_ was his first unguarded hope.

But he blinked to dispel his sudden thoughts and nodded. "Yes, thank you."

She slid hers away from under his and left him to wipe up his mess.

* * *

He could feel her up on the roof again.

God, does this girl not sleep?!

He grumbled and got dressed while Kurama told him not to bother her.

"Maybe she wants you to stay away from her. You guys have been stuck together for long periods of time during this entire mission."

_Yeah, Kurama._

But Naruto didn't like the thought of her being by herself up there.

She glanced at him but she didn't say anything when he came to join her and struck up his usual position at her back. He was about to start scanning but he saw her shiver slightly.

That was a very impractical uniform, he thought, but he wasn't going to disagree with her choice of clothing.

Inwardly, he sighed. Then he unzipped his jacket and raised his arms to sling it over her shoulders, but she gripped one of his wrists and stopped him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Being a gentleman," he muttered darkly. "You look cold."

"I didn't ask you to."

"It doesn't matter. If you catch a cold from being out here without a jacket, then I'm going to be picking up the slack."

Her eyes narrowed, and again, they did that locking of eyes that made them clash. But his lips couldn't help lifting up because she was so adorable and so determined to win this battle and not to give in to him.

So he puckered his lips and blew a gentle puff of air at her face, which surprised her and she momentarily slackened her grip on his wrist. It allowed him to sneakily drop his jacket over her shoulders.

"I win," he said with a grin.

She was about to take it off, but he only gripped the collar of his jacket and tucked it more firmly around her. "You'll get sick, Hinata. Come on, just this one time. Next time, when I'm cold, you can lend me _your_ jacket, or your skirt, or your blouse, whatever."

Her eyebrow rose a fraction, but her lips twitched with amusement. She dropped her arm and left the coat on.

He went behind her and felt the heat of her body against his back.

"Thank you, Naruto," came her softly spoken acknowledgment.

He grunted in reply, and because she couldn't see it, his smile was firmly in place.

* * *

Shikaku didn't send a message, but Sai and several shinobi came.

They walked around in full ninja gear in town, the forehead protectors gleaming in the sunlight. The villagers of Isetan followed their movements warily. But even though they recognized each other, none of the shinobi exchanged greetings with Hinata and Naruto.

The morning following Sai's arrival, a message was waiting for them at the front desk of their hotel.

_The stag wanted its foals back in the pen._

Their mission was over. It was time to go back home.

* * *

Their last meal together that night was quiet.

"It's a show of force. Sai and the others are just here to deter more arms transfer?" she mused out loud as they ate together again in her room.

He nodded and picked up a dumpling from the pack that they were sharing. "Looks like it. That crate of swords went out a couple of weeks ago and now our shinobi's here to show Nayoro that Konoha knows."

She looked at him, her eyes locked on to his mouth. His chopsticks momentarily stopped midway to his lips. She probably didn't mean anything by it, but she continued to stare at him even when he became self-conscious. But he popped the dumpling into his mouth and started chewing.

He flushed, felt hot, but he forced himself to eat normally.

Now he knew what it felt like whenever he kept staring at her face, at her lips, while she ate.

"So we go back home tomorrow."

He thought he heard a little bit of regret in her tone.

* * *

If she could, Hinata would prefer to forget that day.

Done with their mission, they were finally going to check out of the hotel that morning.

He was packing and she'd come to his room to ask if he was ready to go.

"No, not yet. I need a few more minutes," he said apologetically.

She nodded and was about to leave his room to give him space, but a noise from the window distracted her. A ruckus was coming from outside. She'd walked over to check it out and peered out the window.

A cart had overturned, its contents spilled over the road. It was the butcher's cart and the slaughtered carcasses were scattered all over the street.

But Hinata only saw dead bodies, dripping red, and she jerked in surprise, feeling the dreaded chill start from her shoulders and then coldly creep up her neck. She quickly turned her head away from the scene and looked unseeingly at Naruto, who was now standing beside her. He'd come to see what the noise had been.

And she must have looked fine because he was smiling at her and he was saying something she couldn't hear. Because Hinata's mind was playing tricks on her and she was locked inside her brain.

The bloody carcasses blocked everything out and took her back to that dark, suffocating training room when she'd been with her grandfather and her cousins, still learning to become an assassin, still learning to pierce human flesh with her chakra.

She gazed at Naruto, trying to focus on his eyes, concentrating on how bright and how blue they were. How kind they were. How warmly they were looking at her.

"I love you."

His mouth was moving, but she didn't hear what he was saying.

He reached out, and Hinata, still stuck in her hallucination, only saw hands reaching out, hands that reminded her of blood.

A threat to be eliminated.

With years of training, she reacted instinctively.

She instantly drew out a kunai, pressed it into his neck as she jammed a knee to his groin, pinning him to the wall. Her other free arm pushed painfully against his chest, cutting off his breathing.

They stared at each other.

* * *

Naruto took his time packing, half looking forward to going home and half of him dreading it. For some reason, the thought of not being with Hinata made him feel anxious and he wondered why he felt that way.

Once they were back in Konoha, they would probably part ways and he would return to his life while she would go back to hers. They would no longer be spending time together as much as he'd like, which somehow didn't feel right. He was so used to seeing her every day, spending time with her for the full day, talking about the mission, discussing their plans, and even just sharing his meals with her as she ate hers quietly and let him chatter.

It was possible that he might never work with her ever again.

The thought of it filled him with sudden panic.

He straightened up and dropped the shirt he'd been packing on the floor.

Holy shit.

He was in love.

With Hinata Hyuuga.

He was quiet for a few minutes, reeling from the realization.

But it made so much sense now.

This past month, when he woke up in the morning, he always looked forward to working with her, just being with her. At night when he would go back to his room, he would leave feeling like somebody had kicked him in the heart. The way his eyes kept looking at her because he just couldn't stop himself, the way he found her calm, collected face irresistible and fueled his constant need to tease her, just to get her to react, to _smile_.

He had to tell her, he thought. At the very least, he wanted her to know how he felt. And see how she felt about him, too, or check to see if she was interested in being with him.

Yeah, maybe on the way back to Konoha. He'd try asking her out.

There was a knock on the door.

Crap, that would be her!

He tried to calm himself, but he became nervous. "Yeah, come in!"

She walked in, striding purposely and without even a morning greeting, she bluntly asked, "Are you done packing?" Her tone was cool and slightly annoyed.

Which snapped him out of his foolishness and brought him crashing back to earth.

He smiled and said, "No, not yet. I need a few more minutes."

She nodded.

He shook his head, chiding himself.

Something crashed outside and she walked over to the window.

He breathed a sigh of relief and started packing again. Dodged a bullet there, he thought. Wouldn't do to be so upfront with his feelings because he really wasn't sure yet if he was truly in love with her.

It _felt_ like love, but he needed more time to sort things out.

But then he looked up and saw her standing against the window, bathed in light that outlined her body and framed her face, her achingly beautiful face. And he was filled with the overwhelming urge to just let her know how much he'd had so much fun working with her the last month while they'd been undercover. This might be his only chance before they head back.

He walked over and she tore her gaze away from the window and looked at him.

She had the same expressionless face on, but her eyes were searching his, lavender eyes latching on and just wouldn't let go.

Pierced him in his soul and left him breathless.

"Hinata? You okay?" he asked but she didn't say anything.

Just kept her gaze on him, locked on him, holding on with intensity.

And then to his horror, before he could stop himself, he felt his lips forming the words to "I love you."

Even as he said it, he knew it was a mistake.

But she still didn't respond to him, so he tried to get her attention by reaching for her.

And he knew he'd completely fucked up when he felt the kunai on his neck and the even more dangerous knee pressed against his dick.

He realized, too late, that her silence had nothing to do with him but it had something to do with what was going on in her mind.

Kurama suddenly growled low in his throat. "She better let go! Because I will kill her if _you_ won't!"

 _Shh,_ Naruto addressed him quietly. _Nah, she's right. It was my fault. I startled her and I shouldn't have done that._

"Tch!" Kurama said after saying a vicious curse. "If she pulls a kunai on you again...I'm going to rip her to pieces."

He could feel the trickle of blood down his neck. He swallowed and smiled gently into her eyes.

"Hinata, hey," he whispered as soothingly as he could.

She blinked rapidly, realized what he was saying, saw the position they were in, and the knee she'd pressed against him dropped down, her leg planted on the floor.

Her arm lowered the kunai to her side and she quickly backed away from him.

"Hinata, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to grab your arm like that."

She was breathing erratically.

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head to clear it. "I don't know what came over me."

A look of horror flitted briefly over her face but it disappeared into her usual placid expression. She took a deep, calming breath. "I deeply apologize, Naruto. I just...I'm sorry."

Then she ran.

He watched her go and placed a hand on the wound on his neck. It didn't hurt as it initially had, but he'd always had the ability to heal quickly.

Following her might not be a good idea, so he used his Kyuubi mode to sense her and discovered her back in her room. She was standing in the middle of the room, flowing through her exercises again.

He went to check out the window and saw that a driver was putting a blue tarp over a cart. It pulled away, but not before he saw the words _Iwabuchi and Sons, The Finest Cuts of Meat_ painted on its side.

Fifteen minutes later, she came back into his room. With a deep bow, she apologized. "Naruto, I humbly beg your forgiveness for threatening you earlier. It was a mistake and I won't do it to you again."

Naruto smiled reassuringly at her. "Hey, no harm done, Hinata."

She shook her head. "I'm really sorry it came to that."

"It's fine, Hinata." He pointed to his neck, where the cut was already fading. "I've got all this chakra to help me heal, so it doesn't really hurt at all."

Sill, she bowed again. "I'm sorry for doing that to you."

He could see she wasn't going to let it go, so he changed the subject.

"Hinata, about what I said. I—"

And this time, she flinched, maybe because she thought he was going to confess again. He felt a pang of anger. He was just going to apologize again, but it died in him.

"Are you okay?" he asked curtly instead. "You looked kind of shell-shocked when you turned away from the window."

There was an expression of anger on her face but then she extinguished it just as he felt the dimming again in her chakra flow.

"It's not a problem. I'm _fine_." Then she gazed at him coolly, waiting for him, daring him to say something else.

He sighed, feeling his anger drain away.

There it was. She was back to normal. Nothing fazed her, even after he'd confessed his love for her and she'd just almost killed him.

"I guess it's time to go."

* * *

Back on the road, they started walking for Konoha again.

Hinata didn't volunteer any information or talk about anything else. If anything, her chakra seemed _more_ subdued, and it made Naruto feel really bad for making her even less lively. She had never been an outgoing person to begin with, but he'd noticed that she seemed agitated and not as calm as before.

He relented from his earlier irritation with her and asked, "Hinata, are you sure you're okay?"

Her tone was cold. "I already said I'm fine. Please don't ask me again."

Well, _excuse_ me, he thought, his concern evaporating and replaced by anger again.

He sulked as they continued walking and left her alone.

But a perverse sense of honor made him grudgingly say, "In any case Hinata, I'm really sorry I confessed so suddenly."

She looked at him, her expression once more hiding her thoughts. "It's fine. It doesn't bother me. It's nothing."

He nodded, hearing the complete dismissal in her tone, and didn't say anything more out loud.

Inwardly, though, he was dying.

Nothing, she'd said.

He winced, did his best to hide his hurt from showing on his face.

He'd just told her he loved her and she'd not only rejected him, but she'd told him that his declaration of love had no effect on her whatsoever.

A weaker man would have given up and left it at that, forgotten all about it, and moved on.

But not him.

Naruto was a fool, a curious one at that.

Because a gust of wind blew and her scent teased him again and made him remember how much he liked being with her.

If he were being honest, maybe he'd been a _little_ hasty with his confession. He'd blurted the words out without even realizing what he was saying.

The few hours since then had cooled his heated mind and lust, made him realize how much of an idiot he was.

It made him feel frivolous for treating it as lightly as he'd had.

God, he was a dumbass.

So yeah, his pride was hurting. She'd rebuffed his efforts to get close to her and something about that rankled.

What made her so emotionless? So numbed? he wondered as he glanced at her one more time.

They walked on in silence and for the first time in his life, he was glad that he had a partner who didn't want to talk to him.

She had secrets, and lots of it, too, he realized. There were just so many things about her that intrigued him. Like her muted chakra and how she just didn't share anything personal about herself or her life.

And whatever _that_ was when she'd pulled that kunai on him.

Naruto glanced at her profile but she didn't look at him at all. She just kept her eyes forward, forever alert, forever searching for signs of danger.

She walked with confidence in her abilities, but he didn't recall that about her when they'd been younger. She'd never distinguished herself at the Academy, but here she was, walking like a conquering goddess, completely at odds with that weak chakra she possessed.

What did he know about Hinata Hyuuga, really? And how come they'd never worked together before this? It seemed really strange, as if people had deliberately kept them apart all these years.

No, he didn't think that was possible.

He remembered she had a cousin, Neji, who he hadn't worked with either. Granted, Naruto himself had been away from the village since he was fifteen, so it seemed right that he wouldn't have worked with either, but to have not run into them seemed strange. Again, he got the feeling that he was being kept apart from the Hyuugas.

He recalled that day when she'd bought a bracelet for her younger sister.

And he smiled, finally remembering something else.

That's right. Konohamaru Sarutobi had said something about a young Hyuuga girl who was the same age as he was. Naruto was willing to bet that his protege was in love with Hinata's sister. Hanabi, was it?

He glanced once more at her. Maybe she didn't openly give herself away, but he found out a few things about her during this mission, like her involvement in her family's tea business.

He also knew that she liked to dance.

And he felt himself softening slightly toward her again. It was a huge kernel of knowledge to keep him happy for now.

When he got back to Konoha, he might ask around and see what others thought of Hinata, especially Shikamaru and Sasuke. They might know more about her. He could ask Fugaku and Mikoto, too, and get their advice.

Maybe she was friends with Sakura? Come to think of it, she'd mentioned going out with the girls and Hinata had joined them on a couple of occasions.

He paused.

Sakura.

Kurotsuchi.

Normal girls. Normal relationships. He'd asked them out and they'd said yes. So easy, so simple.

But he knew that as soon as he asked Hinata out to go on a date, she would probably knee him again—or instantly dismiss him and turn him down.

Just as easily as she'd thrown his confession back at him.

He sighed. There would be no more repeat performance of _that_.

Naruto took a page from her book and remained silent while he continued thinking about her for the remainder of their journey back home.

* * *

Hinata, meanwhile, kept her calm as she tamped down the twinge of restlessness she felt walking next to him.

And anger at herself for losing her cool. God, she'd drawn a kunai against her teammate. Unacceptable. It filled her with guilt. She wanted to apologize to him again, but she could feel again the rush of ice down her neck so Hinata muted her chakra to prevent herself from remembering the contents of that overturned cart and the triggered memories of her childhood.

She would apologize once they got back home. Right now, she needed to concentrate on their surroundings so that she wouldn't think of what had happened this morning, when she'd almost killed an innocent man.

She took deep, silent breaths, grateful to feel the cool air enter her lungs.

After that incident at the hotel room, she was glad to be outside in the sun walking. It was helping clear her mind a little bit.

He was silent, thank god.

Eventually, her panic subsided and the sensation of calm allowed her to finally think about what he'd said.

I love you, he'd said.

His declaration of love had startled her, but she dismissed it from her mind. He was nothing more than a charming playboy, somebody probably looking to get in her pants. If that was the case, then she could ignore it. He barely knew her. How could a man fall in love so quickly? Was it even possible?

_No._

Not with her.

She was not the type of person that people loved easily. She knew her own worth. It was next to nothing because she had to be.

Hinata glanced at him and found his eyes on her again so she turned her head forward and went back to deliberately ignoring him.

As they walked, he seemed to be looking at her most of the time instead of paying attention to their surroundings. It made her feel a little bit annoyed because _she_ wanted to stare at him to her satisfaction, just to observe, but she wanted to do it without him looking back at her.

However, every time she would glance at him, he would meet her gaze with that curious expression on his face.

The problem was, he was smart, and he was also dangerously perceptive. She didn't want him probing too much into her life.

Analytically, she conceded that Naruto was attractive. She'd worked alongside him enough to know he had the lean, agile grace of a panther when he moved. His blond good looks reminded her so much of the warm, bright sun. She liked the intensity and earnestness of his gaze even though she knew she could never be so open with hers. He stood a foot taller than she did, and there was something about looking _up_ at his face and feeling that blue gaze focused on her.

It felt nice, she grudgingly admitted.

She was a little bit surprised by the direction of her thoughts. It must have been sparked by his confession.

Because Hinata had never really thought about being in a relationship with a man before. What was the point?

She'd wondered about it, of course, but she'd wanted to focus all she could on honing her skills and do what she could to avoid making mistakes with her missions.

Men were distractions. They were to be avoided at all cost. She didn't want more complications in her life.

All those feelings, the closeness required to be with another person, it made her shrink with discomfort.

But she knew her fellow shinobi didn't share the same opinion as hers.

Kurenai-sensei was married and probably well on her way to having a baby, judging from the second chakra she'd felt the last time she'd run into her in town. Sakura was with Sasuke and had been dating him for four years now. Her father had loved her mother, she knew.

She tilted her head to the side, a frown furrowing her face.

But what _is_ it, though? Why would anybody need to be with another person? There _had_ to be a point to all the giggling that her younger relatives did. They'd fawn over their objects of affection, but Hinata, irritated by the lack of focus they gave their training, would remind them to pay attention.

But she remained curious why they were so determined to act like idiots.

"What are you thinking about, Hinata?" he asked, his quiet voice intruding in her thoughts.

She answered him honestly because he was the cause of all this disquiet in her. She wondered how he would react.

Hinata looked at him and he didn't look away from her gaze.

"Men," she said. "And why women become such fools over them."

* * *

Naruto laughed, he couldn't help it. It was an unexpectedly forthright answer to his question. He'd been expecting her to be short with him but it sounded like she was deeply puzzled about the whole thing.

But she was looking up at his face, into his eyes again, in that direct way that made him simultaneously flinch and melt at the same time.

He felt breathless, trapped in her gaze, reminding him again of that one vision of her caught up in the pleasure of that dance, and then after, when she'd grinned at him with so much joy.

His heart was beating painfully in his chest.

And he felt himself falling again.

When just a few minutes ago he'd decided he didn't really love her.

But there was no mistaking the lightheaded feeling, the dizzying drop in his stomach and the flutter back up to the top, the urge to smile goofily at her and never stop.

Ah, shit.

He really _was_ an idiot.

"Because I don't understand why anybody would willingly do something so stupid," she was saying.

 _I_ can, Naruto thought to himself, as he looked at her face, with her beautiful lavender eyes, the porcelain purity of her skin, the luscious lips dismissing something as wonderful as love.

He smiled instead. "You really can't?"

She frowned and shook her head.

"You like dancing, right?"

She stopped walking, startled.

He stopped, too, and pushed his luck, knowing she probably wouldn't take the bait, but he wanted to see how she would react.

"When you talk about people being idiots, it's because there's a kind of dance involved that makes you feel wonderful and breathless," he murmured, watching the expression of confusion and puzzlement flicker across her face. "You soar in the feeling, the emotion, and then come back and wish for some more. And it depends on the person, the partner involved."

He could see the wheels turning in her mind, and he waited breathlessly to see what she would say next.

"It's the same as dancing?" she asked, but her tone was disgruntled, disbelieving.

He chuckled again. "They're similar, but I say there's something about romance that's better than the feeling you get when you're dancing."

She shook her head. "No. I don't believe it."

Hinata didn't snort in derision because she was just incapable of doing something that unrefined, but he felt she'd just did when she firmly, and deliberately, turned her gaze back to the road.

And that was that.

He laughed again, not feeling hurt this time because he'd tried, and he would probably try again—someday.

Because he knew he just couldn't let it go.

* * *

When they got to the Konoha gates, Hinata tried one more time to apologize for almost killing him. He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. Not to put you down or anything, but I don't think you _could_ have."

The matter-fact-way he said it told her he firmly believed it.

Instead of feeling insulted, however, Hinata was impressed. Yes, there was a reason why Shikaku, her father, and her grandfather admired Naruto. She, who understood her own limitations, knew enough about him to know that he was right.

It also helped that he was back to his cheerful self, grinning at her as if he'd forgotten the whole incident at the hotel.

Still, it didn't excuse her behavior. She'd lost control and had acted without thinking. She couldn't forgive herself for such a careless mistake.

"I don't think Tsunade-sama needs to know that part, though, me confessing to you, when we give our briefing," he said.

Hinata glanced up into his face, and was startled to see the sudden tinge of red that shaded his cheeks.

She stared, fascinated, and became even more astonished when it darkened.

She tilted her head. Because she was curious, she asked, "Why are you blushing?"

He only groaned and shook his head. "Ugh, Hinata! You're killing me!" he mumbled under his breath.

But this confused her even more. "You just said I wouldn't be able to."

He threw up his hands in the air then raked them through his hair, still mumbling incomprehensibly low. Then he looked into her eyes, smiled, and clearly said, "God, I think you just might."

Then he turned around and headed for the Hokage's office, leaving her to stare at his back, a frown on her face.

What a strange man.

* * *

When they were done reporting to the Hokage, Hinata excused herself before Naruto could say anything and headed straight home. She was glad that Neji wasn't there. She dreaded the conversation he wanted to have, especially since he might be right.

The visions might have lessened in frequency, but the intensity was increasing. The nightmares she could deal with. They happened at night, when she was alone. But in the daytime, when she was around other people, she worried that she might inadvertently hurt others—like she did with Naruto.

She got home and changed into her rags, the ones she always wore when she worked in the glasshouse.

Nobody was home. Hanabi was off on another mission. Her father was in a meeting with her grandfather, discussing what to do with the tea from Tomita's farm and the female grower. Neji was off with Uncle Hizashi, probably planning for their upcoming trip to Kumo.

Hinata smiled. She hoped her cousin would be busy making arrangements. That would mean he'd be busy juggling that and other missions he still had to finish before going on leave. If he was busy, maybe he would forget to come find her.

She opened the door to the glasshouse and was hit with a blast of hot air and the suffocating scent of flowers. Koh was already working on his plants and smiled when she walked in.

"Hey, Hinata! Back already? Did you have anything to eat?"

She smiled at him, her partner in crime, but she shook her head. "No, not yet. I'll wait when everyone's home and grab dinner then."

He nodded and went back to weeding the garden. Koh had shown her what to do when she'd started her garden. Hinata still struggled to grow anything like his masterpieces, but her plants were slowly getting there.

She grabbed her tools and found the last patch of the garden that she'd been working on before she'd left for the mission. As soon as her hands touched the cool earth, the crumbling grittiness of dirt, her heart eased.

Nothing bothered her in this world. It was a cocoon, her protection from reality. It was just the heat and warmth, blanketing her against the elements outside. The smell of fresh flowers, the scents indistinct because of the many plants grown inside the glasshouse. The soothing sound of her spade digging, scraping against the earth. A seed thrown in, earth brushing over it, growing it.

Just her hands creating a life.


	15. Man Meeting, Or the Testosterone Version of Girl Talk

**Chapter 15: Man Meeting, Or The Testosterone Version of Girl Talk**

After their month together, she hadn't even bothered saying good-bye to him. As soon as they were done with their debriefing with Tsunade, she'd left abruptly.

And Naruto was still pissed about it.

But he was even more pissed at himself for _feeling_ pissed about it.

He walked home to his new apartment, opened the door, turned around, and promptly locked it behind him again.

He needed a longer walk, so he found himself going down the steps and heading to his childhood home with the Uchihas. After a long mission, he just wanted to spend it with his family and not by himself.

"I'm home!" he yelled when he opened the door.

Mikoto came flying out and almost knocked him over when she hugged him.

"Don't cry, Mikoto," he said.

"I'm not crying, you ass," she said with an exasperated laugh and smacked him in the arm. "Come inside. This is so unexpected, Naruto! I'm happy to see you, but it's just you and me tonight. You missed everyone. Sasuke's out with Sakura. Your father's still at the police station. Itachi's somewhere. He wouldn't tell me."

He grunted with disappointment.

"I'm hungry," was all he said as he took off his shoes and walked inside, heading straight for the dining room when he saw that she hadn't cleared away her dinner yet. She went into the kitchen to grab more food and placed it in front of him.

"How was the mission?" she asked as she sat down in front of him.

Naruto groaned. "Let me finish my food first and then I'll tell you."

So she waited and then found herself laughing when he was done telling her what had happened the past month.

"Oh, my god!" she said as she clutched her stomach. "I _love_ her!"

He glared at her. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

Mikoto flicked a glance to the scratch on his throat and smirked. "Like you said, she wouldn't have killed you, but I'm not blind to the fact that you strut around Konoha with so much conceit."

"What?!"

"Your pride's just hurt. It's a good thing. You need to be taken down a notch."

He only humphed, picked up the dishes, brought them to the sink, and started washing them.

She was still smiling as she came up, leaned a hip against the counter, and watched him. Naruto glanced at her but turned back to the dishes, quietly soaping them. He seemed lost in thought.

Eyes still sparkling with mirth, she asked, "Hinata Hyuuga. I don't know either if what you feel for her is love or not, but she sounds like she's going to be a lot of trouble for you. Is she worth it, you think?"

"Yes," he said unhesitatingly, stopping to look at her.

She laughed. "Then go for it."

He nodded then started soaping again. But then he turned back to her with a cajoling grin, and asked, "Mikoto, you think you can make me cinnamon rolls?"

Her face twisted into a puzzled expression, but she nodded.

Just then, they heard Fugaku's footsteps at the entranceway.

"I'm home!"

"Mikoto, don't tell Fugaku about my woman troubles yet, okay?"

She grinned at him again. "Sure, baby."

"Naruto!" Fugaku said with pleasure as he walked into the dining room.

"Yes, the prodigal son returns," Naruto answered as he walked up to him to give him a hug.

Then Mikoto was there to wrap her arms around her husband and kiss him on the lips, making Naruto smile and shake his head.

He was jealous.

He wished he could really do that with Hinata someday.

* * *

With Mikoto's blessing, Naruto rounded up the people he thought could help him figure out this problem. They came to the house a few days later.

In an unused room in the Uchiha household, these five men gathered around Naruto. Jiraiya and Kakashi were busy pouring each other sake. Fugaku sat at the head of the table, looking patiently at his adopted son. Sasuke sat next to him, busily polishing his shurikens. Naruto's best friend, Shikamaru, sat next to Sasuke, fingers tapping an irritated rhythm on the low table above the tatami mat.

"Why am I here again?" Kakashi asked, but he wasn't really complaining. Not if he got to drink some of Fugaku's excellent sake.

Jiraiya poured some of said sake into his cup. "Because you were Minato's student and part of Kushina's former guard. Therefore, you are part of the family, part of the tribunal that was tasked to raising Naruto."

Kakashi snorted. "That's a flimsy excuse to keep roping me into extra work. I'm barely in this kid's life. I'm unnecessary if Fugaku is here."

"Nonsense! You know you want to help Naruto out because he asked you to," Fugaku said with forced cheer. "I mean, you've worked with all three of my sons in various missions. You've captained two of them. They all respect you...as shinobi, of course."

"Of course," Kakashi responded with a glimmer behind his eyes. "Meaning they don't like my other qualities?"

"Oh, don't worry, Naruto here rivals your perversion," Sasuke said with a snort. "You can be proud of _that_."

"Excuse me?! I am _not_ a pervert!" Naruto snapped at him then threw his gaze at Kakashi and Jiraiya. "Don't lump me in with those two!"

Kakashi only raised his glass of sake at him.

But then he said, "Asuma sends his regrets that he's not here. He's got a very important doctor's appointment with Kurenai that they can't miss."

Naruto grinned at Kakashi, who smiled back in return.

"Go ahead, Naruto," Fugaku said. "They're all here so you might as well get started and tell us what this all about."

"I guess I should start." Naruto looked at all of them but he wasn't happy. "Where's Nii-san?"

"Itachi-nii will be back tomorrow. He's on a mission for Tsunade," Sasuke said without looking up from his polishing.

Shikamaru glanced at the clock. "Will you hurry this up, Naruto? What the hell is so important that you need to call all of us for this meeting?"

Naruto sighed. "I'm in love and I need your advice."

Jiraiya let out a loud guffaw. Kakashi blinked at him. Sasuke stopped polishing his kunais and raised a brow at him. Shikamaru sighed with annoyance. Fugaku only stared at him.

"Who's the girl?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk.

"Hinata Hyuuga."

Shocked silence echoed through the room.

"You're serious?" Shikamaru asked.

"Deadly," Naruto replied.

Shikamaru frowned at him. Poor choice of words, he thought.

Naruto continued, "I've already told her I love her. She almost killed me."

" _You already told her?!_ " Jiraiya yelled, horror written plainly on his face.

The others remained silent, but Naruto sensed the collective face-palming the men were doing in their minds.

"What, exactly, did she do when you told her you loved her?" from Kakashi, his tone very interested.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, unable to prevent the blush from climbing up his cheeks. "She drew a kunai and put it against my neck."

" _And you let her?!"_ Jiraiya howled, spitting out the sake that had been in his mouth, splattering it all over the table.

Fugaku frowned at the mess.

"Just your neck? I'd have thought it would be lower," Kakashi said with a chuckle.

"I think she wanted to, but she satisfied herself with just pricking and drawing blood from _that_ part of my body," Naruto said with a dry smile.

"Hah!" Jiraiya scoffed. He took another drink from his sake cup.

But everyone else remained quiet.

Naruto continued doggedly, "Look, she's just so _uninterested_ in me that I don't know what to do. I made that confession on the spur of the moment without thinking. I should have waited to make sure of what I was feeling, but she just confuses me. I think I love her, but then I'm not sure. But then I can't get her out of my mind and I just think about her all the time."

He could see the pitying expressions on their faces, making it plain that they thought he was an idiot, but he just didn't care.

"So that's why you guys are all here. I need your advice on how to go about making her love me back," he finished lamely.

There was a deep sigh from Shikamaru. He was frowning, arms folded.

"God, you're such a _pain_ in the ass!" he mumbled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but said nothing, taking his cue from the others as he glanced at the silent older men around the room.

Jiraiya took another sip of sake. His gaze on his godson was thoughtful.

Kakashi sat back in enjoyment and waited for the show to continue, glad now that he'd been invited to this trainwreck.

Fugaku brought his hands together on the table, steepled his fingers, and said, "Hmm."

Still, nobody jumped in to give him any advice.

" _Really_ , guys?" Naruto asked with a frown. He thought it strange that everyone was so quiet about it. He'd expected more ribbing, more merciless teasing.

This silence was different. Something was definitely up.

After a few minutes, Shikamaru looked around at the older, supposedly more experienced, men sitting around him.

He looked pointedly at Jiraiya, who did his best to ignore his eyes. Kakashi stared back at him unblinkingly but remained silent. Fugaku met his gaze but furtively shook his head.

"Tch! Man, are you guys really _not_ going to tell him?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

Silence.

"You guys are _punkasses_."

Shikamaru looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke? You're not going to tell him? You know what she is. You've heard whispers in the ANBU."

"No. Not my place," said Sasuke with a quick shake of his head. He folded his arms and coolly advised, "I don't think it's _yours_ either. That's the Hokage's prerogative and your father's call."

Shikamaru waved the comment away with a slash of his hand in the air. Sasuke shrugged then was back to polishing his shurikens. He had a steady pile of shiny ones in front of him.

Shikamaru tried another avenue. "Kurama!" he called out. "I know you can hear me in there. _You're_ not going to tell him, either?"

Naruto placed a hand on his stomach, waiting for a reply, but the beast was just as quiet as the older men in the room.

Shikamaru made an irritated sound in his throat.

"Look at him," Shikamaru said with a point of his chin towards Naruto, who was looking puzzled. "He's got it bad. He's _done_! You guys know he's not going to let go of her once he's latched on. Hell, he's already told her he loved her. _Somebody_ needs to tell him."

More silence.

"Wusses," Shikamaru sneered at all of them. The men only refused to make eye contact.

"Shikamaru! You're killing me! Just spit it out!" Naruto yelled when he couldn't stand it any longer.

So his friend did. "She's an assassin, Naruto. She's been trained to kill since she was young."

Shock flitted over Naruto's face.

"No way!" he said, vehemently shaking his head. "There's no possible way someone that delicate-looking could kill anybody in cold blood!"

"Tell that to all the people she's killed! That's _exactly_ why she's so successful. Nobody would ever suspect someone who looks like an angel."

"How do you know all this?"

"You forget what my dad does for work."

_Shit_. Shikamaru was right.

"I don't want to believe it," Naruto said slowly. He swept everyone a frown. "But with everyone being quiet, that means it's the truth. Nobody's denying it."

Still, the silence lingered.

Naruto glared at them and angrily banged his hand on the table. "Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"Well, to be fair, Naruto, this is the first time we're hearing that you're in love with Hinata Hyuuga so there was never a need to tell you," Kakashi said.

"Also, don't you think that you already know deep down in your heart? I know you probably sensed it when you worked with her last month. She's not like other normal shinobi," Jiraiya added, his tone serious.

Kurama rumbled an agreement.

Naruto was quiet as he recalled the days they'd been together during their mission. Yes. He couldn't deny it. The quiet way she held herself, the secrets she refused to reveal. It made sense. The kind of work she did, she needed to hold herself together to kill efficiently.

But once he took stock of what he was feeling and the shock of it wore off, he was honest enough to admit that he didn't care what she was because he was just completely fascinated by her.

"I don't think I can let this go, though." Naruto raked his fingers through his hair, irritated by the whole situation. "Even when I tell myself to forget her, I can't do it. I just think about her all the time. She's gotten under my skin! What should I do?!"

"Run. Head for the hills."

"Give it up, just find another girl who doesn't know what a kunai is."

"Get yourself some high-grade chainmail underwear."

Naruto huffed in frustration and glared at all of them. "Comedians! The lot of you!"

But Fugaku's deep voice cut through the bullshit. "Talk to Itachi when he comes home."

Naruto glanced at him with surprise. "Itachi?"

"Yes," Fugaku said with a nod. "He, out of all of us, knows her state of mind."

Naruto nodded with understanding. Of course.

Shikamaru sighed, but he added, "There's also Neji. If _she's_ an assassin, then there's a chance that her cousin's an assassin, too. He might be able to help you out."

Naruto brightened. Neji Hyuuga, Hinata's cousin. He could do that.

Then Fugaku smiled. "When you're done talking to them, you can come to me and then we'll talk about the romance part. I'll tell you about how I fell in love with Mikoto and how she came to love me back. And Mikoto can tell you more about your mom and dad and _their_ love story."

Fugaku looked at the men around him, piercing Jiraiya and Kakashi with a look. Then he turned back to Naruto with some powerful truth: "Whatever you do, don't talk to these guys about love and romance. I don't trust these two with their advice."

* * *

Dissatisfied with the "help" that his family had given him, Naruto decided that he would try branching out of his circle.

He was an intelligence officer. What he needed was information.

On Hinata Hyuuga.

So he found his three informants, dangled a nice, juicy payoff in front of them, and led them to the perfect place for interrogation.

"Tell me all you know about Hinata Hyuuga, or nobody gets anything," Naruto said. He sat before them, withholding the reward he would exchange for their information.

The weakest one cracked under the pressure.

"Hand over the fucking beef and quit being dramatic, Naruto!" Kiba yelled as he reached over and grabbed the plate of raw meat from Naruto's hands. He then dumped it over the flaming grill.

"You'll burn it if you're not careful!" Chouji cried. He grabbed the tongs from Kiba's hand and proceeded to delicately, and gently, rearrange the meat sizzling on the grill.

Shino took a sip from his water and gazed at Naruto impassively.

Deciding that honesty was the best tact to use with Shino and Choji, he came right out and told them. Normally, he would have thought of different ways to gather information from her former teammates, but Shino was the type of person who didn't sugarcoat anything, either.

This was probably why he and Hinata had gotten along so well.

Come to think of it, Chouji was the same, too.

"Shino, anything you can tell me about Hinata? Something that other people might not know?"

Shino stared at him for a long time. "We were genin together for two years under Kurenai."

Naruto bit back the sarcastic reply he wanted to say and reminded himself not to antagonize Shino. "Yeah, that much I remember. But what was she _like_?"

"First of all, why are you so interested in her?"

"I'm not sure, Shino."

Naruto saw his face reflected in Shino's dark glasses, saw his own worried frown and hoped Shino would interpret it as caring, that all he had towards her were good intentions.

Shino glanced at Choji and both men shared a look that proved how loyal they were to her.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Chouji said, shaking his head. His expression was friendly, but his voice was hard. "We're not telling you anything unless you give us a good reason why."

He lifted up a piece of meat from the grill, inspected it closely, and placed it on his plate. He did the same to three more. But he waited for Naruto to continue.

Kiba quickly reached out for the remaining pieces of barbecued meat.

"I want to ask her out. I might have feelings for her," Naruto said. He hoped they could hear the sincerity in his voice.

Again, Chouji and Shino looked at each other for a full minute before they came to their decision. Chouji finally smiled.

Shino nodded. "I haven't really kept up with her since we were all together."

He kept his gaze on Naruto as he pried his chopsticks apart. Then he grabbed his share of the meat from the grill.

Chouji, with his mouth full, said, "The only thing I heard about her is that she's more involved in the family business more than ever. I think she travels out of Konoha and is a buyer. She prefers to work alone, from what I heard from others, too."

They didn't know her true profession, then.

"Yeah, we were together last month on a mission," Naruto said.

"So then you should know all about her." Shino's voice was final.

Naruto sighed with frustration. "No, that's the thing. I only see what she _shows_ me. I just want to know if you guys had more insight into her."

Shino was surprised. "Shows you? You think she's not being herself?

"Yes," Naruto said. "I know for a fact. She hides."

"Well, she's quiet," Chouji said after a pause. "But now that you mention it, you've got a point. She doesn't necessarily volunteer a lot of information about herself or her family. You always have to ask her."

Shino added, "She listens, though, even if she may not look interested in the conversation. She's got a good memory. I told her about not liking alcohol once because of the way it affects my insects, and she remembered it when we were on a mission together. She protected me from this particular shinobi who'd splashed sake on their weapons when she'd caught the scent of it."

Naruto nodded, surprised that Shino would say so much. But, yeah, he knew that about her. Hinata paid attention to everything.

"Did she ever mention anything that you guys thought was interesting? Something you didn't expect? Something she liked?"

Chouji kept chewing. "Not really. But she's very kind, deep down."

Shino placed his chopsticks down. "When we were at the academy, she'd been given the choice to move seats, but she chose to sit next to me and Kiba, saying we made her feel at ease."

"Really?" Naruto said as he looked at Shino speculatively. Then he turned to Kiba.

Kiba snorted. "Oh? You remembered I was here, did you?"

"Don't be an ass. You were free to join the conversation at any time."

Kiba shrugged. "I don't really know much about her. I'm only here 'cause you promised me meat and beer," he said with a burp.

"Kiba, come on! Help me out here," Naruto said with a whine. " _You're_ the one she's worked with the most, according to her records, so let me know what you know about her."

"You never talked to her when we were younger?"

"At the Academy?" Naruto asked as he finally placed a piece of grilled meat on his plate. "No, we were never really _good_ friends. Just the usual chit chat among kids."

Kiba took a drink from his beer and frowned. "You know her mother died when she was young, right?"

Naruto stilled and looked at all three of them. They were serious. "No, I didn't know that," he said slowly.

"Yeah, she did," Chouji confirmed. "I think she was giving birth to Hinata's baby brother but there'd been complications and both didn't make it."

"Oh," Naruto said as he looked down at his food. No, he hadn't heard any of that. That could explain a lot, why she was so subdued. He'd lost his biological mother, but he would be crushed if Mikoto wasn't in his life.

"She likes animals, I think," Kiba said as he patted Akamaru on the head. "I noticed that about her when we were at the academy."

Naruto thought about it and recalled the way she'd petted those dogs at Tomita's farm. Yes, it was true. She seemed to like animals. That could be something. Maybe he could ask her out and they could go to that new cat cafe that Sakura and Sasuke had gone to the other day.

Inwardly, he shuddered. He didn't really want to do that, but if Hinata was interested, he'd be willing to do it.

"Thanks, Kiba. That actually helps a lot."

But the talk of animals reminded him about something Itachi had asked him to do.

"Can you do something else for me?" Naruto asked. "Mikoto's birthday is coming up, and my brothers and I were thinking we wanted to get her a puppy. Can I come by your place and look at som—"

"Man, that's it!" Kiba said excitedly. "Why don't you bring Hinata along then? If she wants to come, you know."

Naruto gasped. "Yeah, you're right! I could invite her along to look for a puppy. She'd like that, I think."

"Yeah," Kiba said. "Come by our place then. One of our dogs just had a bunch of puppies old enough to be weaned from their mom. It's perfect, we were looking for people who might want to adopt a couple."

"Oh, nice! Perfect timing!"

* * *

Unaware that Naruto was quietly gathering information on her, Hinata blithely continued her life. The week after she got home, she'd gone on a mission with Sakura and Tenten. She liked the easy camaraderie that the girls had and tried as much as possible to join in their banter when she could.

Today, they were a few miles away from the village, guarding a jewelry store owner who was doing business in the neighboring town. Sakura and Tenten were inside the store with him while Hinata was outside keeping watch.

She remained alert, but her thoughts kept straying toward Naruto.

The month spent with him had reminded her of what Neji had said about smiling and putting people at ease. It was true. When _he_ smiled, she somehow felt lighter and she liked that he could make her feel that way. What she hadn't liked was the way he'd constantly teased her during their mission.

But when she'd gone back to the grind of her daily life, she realized that the absence of that teasing had affected her. Maybe she missed it? She'd grown to really like it.

In hindsight, he was the first person outside of her family who'd done it. Neji and Hanabi teased her, too, but it was different with him.

Hinata had to admit that she was flattered, because what else could she be?

She wasn't offended at all. In fact, something about him made her curious, which caught her completely by surprise. She wasn't normally one to pry into people's businesses and she rarely asked anything about anyone. She wondered, though, what made _him_ tick and why was he so interested in knowing her secrets?

When Sakura and Tenten came out with their client, they all walked back to Konoha. Their client then dismissed them from their responsibility some distance to the gates when he finished his business at the bank.

The girls found themselves walking by themselves more relaxed than when they'd started out.

"Oh, yeah!" Sakura said, suddenly remembering. "Mikoto made cinnamon rolls and Sasuke gave me some of the extra ones they had. Apparently, Naruto came home last week and she specifically made it for him. She made too much, forgetting Sasuke doesn't like desserts so I asked for them."

Sakura was reaching into her bag. "I've got one for each of us."

Tenten whooped and reached out an open hand. "Thanks, Sakura! And tell Mikoto when you see her."

"Sasuke said they were frozen so they're not as fresh as they could be. But I bet they're still really good."

Hinata accepted hers but she looked at it doubtfully.

But now she knew one thing about him. Naruto liked cinnamon rolls.

* * *

Hinata got home and Neji was waiting for her, his arms were folded.

"You can't run from me, Hinata."

She flinched and then sighed.

"What do you want, Neji?"

"If I didn't love you so much, I would kick your ass for that tone of voice."

She smiled at that. "I'm tired so I just might let you."

Neji kept his arms folded, but his expression eased. "We still need to talk. I'm just going to say that I just came back from my session with the Yamanakas. I've made progress."

Hinata only looked at him and kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to take the bait. She knew she could out-wait him.

"Hinata!" he muttered, his voice full of frustration.

Her smile was brief, but she was glad he wasn't going to force her to talk. She suddenly felt the urge to mention something about an overturned cart in the street, but she fought it and stayed silent.

Neji glared at her, recognizing her tactic and knowing she could wait forever. "Fine, you win for now."

Still, no response.

Neji sighed, giving up. With a dry smile, he said, "Alright, at least let me ask you about your mission? You never told me how it went, being undercover."

Naruto's face flashed in her mind. His warm, cheerful smile. His wonderfully kind blue eyes.

"It was interesting," was all she said as she walked past her cousin. "I got partnered with Naruto Uzumaki for the first time."

Neji looked down at her as he caught up to her. Her face was normal, but there was a different inflection in her voice, something he'd never heard before.

He felt himself smiling.

* * *

Naruto ran into Neji by coincidence as he was leaving Tsunade's office. Naruto was done with his briefing and saw that Neji was coming in to report for his. They nodded at each other in the hall.

He waited for ten minutes outside of the Hokage Tower for Neji to show up. He didn't know what to say to him, but he wanted to give it a try.

"Neji Hyuuga?"

Neji turned at the sound of Naruto's voice.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have a minute?"

Neji looked at him silently then smiled. "Sure. I think I have an idea of what you want to talk about."

"Yeah?" Naruto said with a puzzled look. Maybe Hinata had said something to her cousin about their mission together? He brightened at the thought.

"Have you eaten?" he asked her cousin. "I know this is sudden, but did you want to go get something to eat or drink first? My treat."

Neji shook his head. "I have a better idea. Why don't you come with me to our place? At the Hyuuga compound. She's away on a mission. She won't be there. But it will give you an idea of what you're up against."

She.

"So you know then?"

Neji laughed. "Know what?"

"Well, I like her. She might have told you?"

Neji raised his eyebrows, but the smile remained on his face. "No. She never told me any of that."

Naruto winced. "Damn. You tricked me."

Neji smirked. "No, I didn't. You just have a habit of sharing a lot of information with people you're meeting for the first time."

If either Jiraiya or Shikaku had heard that, there goes his job, Naruto thought. But Hinata made him lose his mind and left him a mess.

Instead, he shook his head and said, "No, it's just with you Hyuugas that my mouth won't heed my instructions. I am forever spilling my secrets to you guys."

Neji laughed. "Come on, let's go."

Naruto followed Neji and was glad that he seemed friendly and open enough to discuss Hinata with him. Plus, he was finally going to enter the Hyuuga's world, this mysterious and closely-guarded clan who kept their secrets in their little part of Konoha. Though they were all related by blood, the Uchiha families had lived in separate parts of town, unlike the Hyuugas, who were concentrated in one compound. He was curious what Hinata's childhood was like.

Neji led him to the entrance blocked by heavy, imposing, wooden gates. They walked through the gates and came into a large, open courtyard with a landscaped Japanese garden. It was beautiful. The moss-covered mounds rose above a rock garden made to look like the sea, with swirls of wavy patterns painstakingly raked. The trees, with their bright maple leaves, loomed over a small stream that ran in the middle.

But the house was another matter altogether. It was big and grandiose; its express purpose was to intimidate, not welcome, the visitor.

"You guys have a beautiful home," Naruto said politely as they walked into the house.

"Thank you," Neji said.

The Uchihas liked traditional Japanese design, too, but Naruto's childhood home had been bright and warm and accentuated with elegant, modern touches.

Hinata's home, meanwhile, was statelier and, it seemed to Naruto, a little bit more oppressive. He'd expected traditional Japanese furnishings when they walked into the home, but he didn't realize that Hinata's family was _that_ rich and ancient. He could tell the furnishings were expensive, crafted by masters who'd learned the secrets to making cabinets and shelves last for centuries.

But it felt like a museum inside. He got the feeling that there hadn't been a lot of friendly bantering and teasing going on in the rooms—unlike his home with his parents and brothers.

He wondered what Hinata's room was like and where it was. He glanced around curiously and noted everything.

Not many people were about so Naruto didn't get a chance to talk to other Hyuugas.

They continued walking, and again Naruto felt the hush that blanketed the inside. "You and Hinata live in the same house, right?"

"Yes, under the clan head's family home."

"How many people live in the compound?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, about a hundred and fifty of us. Thirty-five families concentrated in one area. It gets pretty cramped sometimes, but family is family, you know," Neji said with a light shrug.

"Yeah, but I'd still want some space."

"Hmm, space," Neji said after a pause. "Sometimes, that would be nice."

They kept on walking.

"I heard you moved out of your home with the Uchihas."

"That's right. I got a new apartment a few blocks away from the Hokage's office. This way, I don't have to go far for work."

"Do you like it?"

"I'm not sure. I'm still adjusting. I miss my family. It's weird being by myself when I've been around people all my life. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, I think I do. Maybe that's why I like going on the missions all by myself and coming back home."

Finally, they approached Neji's "room," which was in the second story.

Once, Naruto and the family had gone on an expensive holiday and had splurged for a stay at one of the more expensive ryokans at an onsen town. Their room had fit a family of five.

Neji's room was bigger than that ryokan room, but the tasteful furniture inside didn't make it imposing and intimidating. It was actually comfortable and welcoming.

The best part of it was that it overlooked the garden. From above, Naruto saw the woven patterns of the rocks.

"I like your view," he said as he walked over and gazed out of the window.

Neji nodded. "I love it."

Neji brought them some tea and snacks and laid it on the table for Naruto, who nodded his thanks and grabbed one of the dorayaki, the pancake-like sweets filled with red bean paste. He took a bite.

"Do you do any of the tea business with Hinata?"

"I do the books, which is what my father and I are in charge of. The finances."

"So everyone's involved?"

"Pretty much," Neji said. "Our branch of the family, anyway. We all have a role. Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, if she decides she wants to join the business, will take care of the creative side, maybe design and marketing."

They were quiet for a while because Naruto needed to find a way to start the conversation he really wanted to have. People just didn't come out and ask others if they were assassins.

Neji smiled at him. "Just go ahead and ask me. You're supposed to be an intel officer."

Naruto looked disgruntled. "That's _work_! This is… I don't know...Personal? I know what to do when I'm gathering specific information about things, but when it comes to Hinata, I just don't know what to expect. I need to try a different way, which is why I'm here because I think I need help."

"We won't talk about my job, then," Neji relented. "But we can talk about my cousin. Why are you chasing after Hinata, anyway? Is it just sex? Or are you interested in having a _real_ relationship with her?"

Naruto barely managed to prevent his jaw from dropping. Damn, these Hyuugas were _blunt_.

"No! It's not just the sex," he said quickly, then blushed when he realized what he'd just said. "Er, I mean, I really do feel like I love her. And I've told her that already."

Neji let out a snort. "After only a few weeks of working with her? That's just dumb."

Naruto flushed again, and irritation flared within him, but he pushed it down because he needed Neji's help.

"I'm not lying, though, I really do like her a lot. I'm obsessed and I don't even know why," Naruto rambled on. "I love how she doesn't want anything from me. I love how she doesn't know how to flirt. That she doesn't even try to hide her disgust for me, that she thinks I'm just a useless, brainless playboy—but I'm not, really. I love that she could easily hurt me and freeze me with her eyes and the cool expression on her face."

"In other words, you're a masochist," Neji said, his tone full of amusement.

Naruto laughed. "I guess! But just for her?"

Neji was clearly enjoying himself, but eventually, though, his voice became serious. "There's a reason why she's a little off with her social skills."

Naruto nodded.

Neji glanced at him then picked up a dorayaki for himself. "I'm guessing with all the people you know that you've got an idea of what she _really_ does?"

"Yes."

Neji ate his food quietly, still thinking, while Naruto waited.

Then Hinata's cousin sighed. "This is not going to be pretty, but I hope you're ready to hear it."

Naruto nodded, anticipating what was to come.

Satisfied with Naruto's reaction, Neji began his story. "When we were younger, we had to go through some training. Suffice it to say, it was brutal. We were locked in a room with a grandfather that wouldn't let up, telling us to basically mutilate a human body."

He appreciated now why Neji warned him before he told his story. Naruto was suddenly pale. His insides were crawling. God, he couldn't imagine it.

He didn't really want to hear anymore, but he couldn't leave. Neji was still talking.

Neji's eyes were knowing. "That's not even the worst part. Part of that training was psychological readiness to accept that we were expendable. We were told daily that we were worthless."

Neji paused to take a sip of his tea.

"She's been trained since she was young to believe that she's nothing more than a tool to be used for Konoha. Unlike her, I've learned to shrug it off. Hinata, though, believes it so much that it's become a fabric of her being. She's completely accepted the lie and believes that she's so worthless, she doesn't deserve love."

Neji stopped and snorted with disdain.

His tone darkened as he continued, "And then our grandfather only praised her when he thought she was strong. So she became determined to grow stronger and learned to hate what she thought was weakness. Hinata thinks part of being weak means showing emotions so she tries to control it, which makes her aloof, and downright unfriendly, sometimes. If you look at it from _her_ view, if she doesn't let people in, then she doesn't need to feel."

Naruto's heart sank.

Neji smiled at him, eyes full of pity. "It's self-preservation, right? If you try to get close to her, she will fight you. She's not going to easily give in and let her walls down. Plus, she's very _stubborn_."

Neji stopped and gave Naruto time to think about the truth he'd just dropped.

Naruto, though, was looking back at him calmly.

Neji smiled. "So, Naruto, after hearing all that, and knowing what you know about her now, are you still interested in her?"

"Yes, even more so," Naruto answered, his tone serious, resolved.

Neji's grin widened. It was full of challenge. "What makes you think that _you_ can succeed when her family, her teammates, her captain have tried to help her break down those walls? We've known her for years and you've only known her for a month."

"Oh, shit," Kurama said with a rumble. "He's got a good point."

Naruto held out a finger to Neji, asking him to wait without saying it out loud. He placed a hand on his stomach, closed his eyes, and invaded Kurama's space.

_Kurama, shut the hell up!_

Then he opened his eyes and nodded apologetically at Neji, who'd watched the whole thing with a smile on his face.

"You were saying?" Naruto said.

Neji continued smiling. "I'm saying _you_ might be the key to her letting people in."

Naruto grinned from ear to ear, happiness radiating from within, basking in the glow of Neji's approval.

_Did you hear that, Kurama?_

"Tch!"

"But part of me thinks this will end with a broken heart—and it's not going to be hers," Neji said.

Naruto's smile died.

"Burn!" Kurama cackled.

* * *

"I like Neji Hyuuga. Let's get to know him better," Kurama rumbled when they were out on the streets again.

Naruto ignored him and walked to his apartment, mulling over what Neji had just told him.

He was in more trouble than he'd thought, but he appreciated the insights that Neji had just given him about her.

Hinata Hyuuga.

Why couldn't she be a normal girl? he thought with a sigh. Why the hell did he choose to fall in love with a girl with so many issues?

He'd seen clearly what she had to deal with. That flare of panic that had made her pull her kunai on him had been triggered by something—something she'd held on to since her childhood.

Thinking about what she'd gone through made his heart squeeze in sympathy. Hinata, with her delicate, fragile beauty, hid a strength of steel to undergo such training and live it daily in her role as an assassin. He could even admire her for being able to hide it so well.

And he kicked himself now for that spur-of-the-moment confession of love. It was the worst possible timing. She would never be able to take him seriously now if she forever associated his love for her with that butcher's cart. It would always remind her of her traumatic past.

He sighed much more deeply. He had a huge chasm to overcome in trying to convince her to give him a chance.

Wooing a woman of Hinata's caliber was going to take a lot of patience. Neji was right. Those walls she'd put up around her to shield herself from getting close to other people were thick. Naruto had come across that icy barrier during their time in Isetan.

He shook his head. Meanwhile, here he was, an open book, able to accept everyone easily for who they were. They were so different from each other.

But Hinata could be wooed, he hoped. He held on to the memory of that first open smile she'd shared with him, when she'd danced and let the music flow through her, filled her being with joy. In that moment, she'd let herself be free and unguarded in her emotions.

It was a small chance, but it was a possibility. And he really hoped he could be the one to make her feel that way again, while they were together.

Naruto finally got home and entered his apartment.

His place was finally livable. All the furniture had been delivered so he could probably invite the boys over now. The only thing he needed now was to stock the kitchen. Mikoto had given him a list of the things he should have in the house. Emergency food, she said. Food that he could eat when he was hungry and didn't need cooking.

He'd just gotten changed out of his mission gear when he heard a rap at the window. He went to open it.

"Yo," Jiraiya said, crouching on the branch by the ledge. "I'm leaving the village."

He peered into the apartment and raised a brow.

"Nice place. Kinda looks like mine."

Naruto grinned. "I modeled it after yours."

"Hah!" But Jiraiya's tone was approving.

"Where you heading?"

"Kumo. I might stop by Amegakure for a bit and look around again."

Naruto frowned. Orochimaru. He knew his godfather wouldn't be able to stop searching for him. Concern on his face, he asked, "Want me to go with you? I'm sure Tsunade will let me tag along."

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, Kakashi's coming with me."

"Kakashi-taichou?" Naruto asked, surprised. "This sounds serious. Is it okay to have both you and the captain of ANBU out of Konoha together?"

"Itachi's in the village," was Jiraiya's only explanation.

"Oh. Okay."

Then Jiraiya smiled. "Listen, kid. If you want to help me, you stay here and proofread the manuscript for my fourth _Icha Icha_ novel like you've done for the others."

"You wrote a fourth one?!"

"Yep."

"Don't you think you ought to retire from writing those books?"

"The profits from the sale of those books go into your inheritance."

"Oh. Well, carry on, then," Naruto replied with an unrepentant laugh.

"Asshole," Jiraiya said fondly. "Good luck with the girl. I'll be back in a month."

He was about to leave, but Naruto stopped him with a quiet, "I love you, Jiraiya."

Startled, Jiraiya turned around to look at him. "The hell?"

Naruto met his gaze and said, "I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you training me all those years ago. Just comparing mine to Hinata's made me realize that even though you were such a nag, I loved everything we did together. And I also just realized I've never said anything to you about it."

Jiraiya smiled despite himself.

"You get your boxers in a twist over this girl and you're telling everyone you love them?" he asked, amused.

But Naruto was still looking at him solemnly.

_Ah, Minato_ , Jiraiya thought. _Look at this boy. I hope you can see him. I think you'll be proud._

"Yeah, well, I do love you, too, kid. You've been a good egg. Or, I guess you're a chicken now."

Naruto laughed.

"Don't go dying on me, you old geezer. I don't need an inheritance _that_ much."

Jiraiya's laughter followed him out of the window.


	16. Wooing and Woah-ing

**Chapter 16: Wooing and Woah-ing**

A few days later, there was a soft knock at the door. Naruto opened it and without any invitation, Itachi walked in, surveying everything inside.

"So this is your bachelor pad?" He took a look around the room then grinned. "Not bad."

"You could have come for a visit earlier. I gave all of you guys a key to the place," Naruto said.

Itachi shrugged then handed him a bag. "Mother made you food when she heard I was coming over."

Naruto gasped when he smelled it. "She made _buri-daikon_!"

He turned to Itachi and asked, "Have you eaten?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, I just got back from my mission, too."

"It feels heavy, so she made enough for both of us, then."

They walked to his kitchen table and the two of them settled in to eat Mikoto's food. Both were quiet, Naruto with his thoughts still swirling in his head about Hinata and how to go about wooing her.

Itachi, meanwhile, was just concerned.

When the dishes were finally put away, Naruto looked at Itachi and said, "There's a reason why you came over."

Itachi smiled. "Father said you have girl problems."

Naruto snorted. " _Problems_. I wish it were as simple as that."

"Tell me then."

So Naruto told him everything, including the conversation he'd had last night with Neji.

Itachi sat back, holding himself still in his chair and nodded. "Neji's right."

Naruto's face was grim. "Yeah, I've been telling myself that she's worth it."

His older brother softly said, "She's a professional killer, Naruto. You don't know what it's like."

Naruto felt his heart drop. When put that way, the difference between him and her became more amplified.

Itachi's gaze was sharp on his face. "No kills on your record, not even an accidental one. Don't think we haven't noticed. Yes, you have injured people on your missions, but that's about it."

Naruto winced. "I guess I can't hide that from you guys, right?"

"The fact that you actively chose to do intelligence work was also a giveaway," Itachi deadpanned.

"Yeah, well, I don't like hurting people."

Itachi nodded. "But _she_ has. Are you okay with that?"

"It's in the past, right?" Naruto asked. He could hear the uncertainty in his own voice.

"Past, present, and future," Itachi said in a hard tone. "Can you live with that?"

Naruto felt a guilty spurt of apprehension. But the memory of Hinata's luminous smile, the puzzled glance she flashed him when he teased her brushed the feeling away.

"I think I can."

Itachi looked into Naruto's eyes for a long moment. Then he shook his head and gave a little snort of amusement. Naruto wasn't sure, but he thought he heard him mumble to himself, "Dumbass."

But Itachi stood up, walked to the refrigerator, grabbed a glass of his expensive apple juice then brought it back to the table. Naruto frowned momentarily. Itachi sure was making himself at home in his apartment.

Itachi took a sip of juice then laid his arms on the table, hands wrapped around the cup. He looked at his younger brother and said, "Naruto, it's never easy taking a life. What she needs is time and some healing. Neji knows this, from what I can tell from your conversation with him. But it seems like she's keeping everything inside her and won't let herself talk to other people."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I get that."

"She wants to solve everything by herself, believes she can do it all alone. That's going to be hard to break through, if that's what she's held on to her entire life."

Itachi smiled. "I think that's what being first-born means. It's a hard habit to break. You just kind of want to prevent others from getting hurt and you take on the responsibility all on your own, so you don't want to ask people for help."

Naruto started with surprise. He stared at Itachi as realization dawned. Itachi was the oldest in the family and had been protecting him and Sasuke since they'd been young. And someday, he was going to be clan head. He could see now how Hinata was the same. Because yes, she had a younger sister, too. And she was also the daughter of the first-born Hiashi Hyuuga.

He nodded slowly. "Okay. I got you, Itachi. I think I'm beginning to see the way her mind works."

"She needs _a lot_ of time. Can you be patient?" Itachi asked with an approving smile.

Naruto snorted. "I didn't go through sage mode training with Jiraiya for nothing."

"Trust me, this is going to be harder than sage mode training. We're talking about building a relationship, here."

"Believe me, Nii-san, I _know_."

"Just wanted to make sure." Itachi stood up. "And don't forget about our gift for Mother. You're in charge by virtue of you being friends with Kiba."

Naruto stood up abruptly, too. "About that! How come _you're_ not doing it?! And Kiba and Sasuke were on the same genin team when they were younger! _He_ should be the one talking to Kiba!"

Itachi laughed. "Well, you know Sasuke's a cat person, so he refused to do it. I'm busy and the oldest. I get to delegate stuff in the family. So that means _you_ are it, baby brother."

"You _guys_!"

* * *

Naruto hoped Hinata would say yes.

He walked to her place and waited at the gates. Nobody had answered the knock, so he wondered what to do. Soon, though, a young Hyuuga came to the gates.

It was Hanabi.

"Yes?" she asked.

She looked remarkably like her older sister, with her lavender eyes peering at him curiously. A few strands of hair fell over her forehead and partially blocked her view of him. She brushed at it impatiently.

He smiled at her. "Hi. Are you Hanabi?"

She nodded.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Is your sister around?"

She was quiet but then she peered at him suspiciously.

"Onee-san?" she asked. "Are you a friend?"

That was tricky. Was he? Not really. Not _yet_ , anyway.

"I worked with her on a mission last month," Naruto settled in saying. It was the truth.

She looked at his friendly smile then she stepped back. She gave a little nod then said, "Okay. Wait here. I'll get her for you."

Hinata came a few minutes later. Again, there was no surprise on her face, only an expectant, patient look.

"Naruto?" she said.

The couple weeks he'd been back to Konoha, they hadn't run into each other in town. As he'd suspected, she'd gone on with her life without being curious about his. But now, he stood before her and he'd forgotten how gorgeous Hinata was. She was breathtaking in her beauty, all cool and self-possessed.

Naruto had the strongest urge to want to make her smile at him again.

He started to get hot.

"Hi, Hinata," he started to say. Then he cleared his throat. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

She tilted her head. "I am fine."

He inwardly sighed.

She was going to make this difficult, but he was determined, so he plunged headlong into the mess and blurted, "I know this is kind of sudden, but do you have any plans this weekend? Do you have any missions?"

"No," she said.

"No?" he asked even as his heart dropped at her outward rejection. Her tone wasn't inviting. It was filled with finality.

Naruto smiled hesitantly and tried again. "No missions, no plans? Or no, you don't want to hear what I wanted to ask you?"

She frowned. "No missions, no plans. But I'll hear you out. What did you want to ask me?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. Hurdle one cleared. But the next step was harder. She could say no again, or slap him, or...He checked for kunais and was relieved to see none.

He took a deep breath then said, "I'm free this weekend and wanted to know if you and I can get together."

She was silent and gazed at him directly.

Master information gatherer, intel officer that he was, Naruto lost his cool and started babbling.

"Look, Hinata, I really like you and I just want to spend some time with you. But do _you_ want to spend time with me, at all? You can say no, I won't get hurt… this time. Just so you know, this isn't a one-time thing. No matter how much you keep rejecting me, I'll be back again at your door. I'll probably ask you out again at another time."

Her expression never wavered, but she said, "Another time? So if I say no today, I'll get a chance to say no again at a later point?"

It took him a minute to sense that she was joking, but his laughter was filled with genuine happiness when he finally realized it. She'd cracked a joke at his expense, and he was heartened by that softening in her.

She smiled then, a small lifting of her lips, but her eyes lost the blankness and glimmered with light. It completely transformed her face and the aura of coolness that pervaded her somehow warmed.

What's more, she kept the pleasant expression on her face when she looked at him.

He was flying on euphoria just seeing such a small thing.

"You're right," he said, a grin in place. "You can tell me no many times, but I would still invite you and ask you to spend time with me because I want to get to know you better."

She became quiet at that, and he could see that the wheels in her mind were turning. She was weighing the merits of time spent with him.

"Okay," she finally said.

He was surprised. "Okay? As in you want to spend time with me?"

"Yes," she said. She glanced briefly behind her, up into the room that he recognized was Neji's.

He was curious about that, but his heart lifted.

"What is it that we'll be doing?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I was wondering if you'd help me out? I'm going to Kiba's to find a puppy for my mother."

There was a softening some more in her expression. "A puppy?"

Damn! Kiba was right.

He grinned at her, so happy. "Yeah, it's a gift for her birthday."

* * *

He picked her up a couple days later and they walked to the Inuzuka's place in silence. Again, Naruto felt the urge to jump into a conversation with her but held back and followed her lead. He contented himself with stealing occasional glances at her face. She looked up at him a couple of times and met his gaze straightforwardly, no artifice or shyly looking away.

Every time their eyes met, there was only puzzlement, as if she couldn't figure out why they were out about town walking together. Why he couldn't stop himself from looking at her and wondering what she was thinking about. Why he found her so attractive and so mesmerizing.

She took her gaze off him and faced forward again. There was a frown on her face, but she still said nothing.

Then out of the blue, she said, "Kiba was a classmate at the academy, too." She saw his approving expression and continued, "He's a dog-user in his shinobi techniques."

He grinned at her, appreciating her effort to initiate the conversation, glad that she remembered their earlier conversation about connections, no matter how flimsy they might be.

"Yes, he is."

"He sat next to me at the academy," she said. "Akamaru was a very gentle dog."

* * *

When they got to Kiba's, he met them with a wave of the arms. "Hey, you two!"

"Kiba," Hinata said with a bow.

He greeted her with a smile. "Nice to see you again, Hinata!" Then he turned to Naruto with an even bigger grin and a wink.

"Hey, Naruto," was all Kiba said, but his tone was teasing.

Naruto didn't care. He was just as happy as Kiba to have Hinata by his side.

"So the puppies are over there," Kiba said as he pointed to a bright building a few yards away. "Just go in there. There's lots of dogs, but they're all friendly and well-behaved. You'll see a Weimaraner with her litter in a corner. They're kinda separated from everyone. You'll know when you walk in."

He started backing away from them. "Sorry, I can't be with you guys because I've got to help out my mom and my sister. I'll come find you when I'm done. Maybe in a couple hours?"

"Thanks, Kiba," Naruto said in a heartfelt tone. His friend was being sensitive and giving them time alone.

Kiba smirked. "No problem, Naruto." Then he dropped his tone and hissed, "But you definitely owe me one."

Naruto laughed then waved as Kiba ran in the direction opposite them.

When they walked in, it was not a kennel, it was a zoo. Chaos reigned and they were surrounded by all the madness, the tails wagging, the happy barks, and the joyful yelps of the playful puppies.

In this environment, Hinata unexpectedly allowed herself to feel fun for the first time in a long time as her outer shell crumbled.

Puppies didn't judge. None of them knew what she was, and around their open affection, she could be free and indulge in the purity of their joy.

They seemed to love her and wouldn't stop begging for attention and she found that she couldn't resist patting each one on the head when they came close. All the while, Naruto watched her with that gentle smile on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said helplessly, a small answering smile tilting up her lips, as a tiny labrador came up to lick her on the calf. "I know we're looking for a puppy for your mother, but I just love them. They are cute."

Naruto didn't seem to mind though, just continued to watch her play with the dogs.

"It's fine, Hinata," he said.

There were little dogs and big ones. Fluffy ones and hairless ones. Quiet ones who came to lick her hand once and loud boisterous ones who knocked her down and climbed all over her, sniffing at her body, and making her laugh softly. When she righted herself, there were several who continued to follow her around with their playful nips and tails endlessly wagging behind them.

And Naruto watched her and fell in love again.

She completely forgot about him and why he'd asked her to join him today, that they were supposed to be looking for a puppy for his mother, but he didn't care, just continued to adore her and watched as she became the puppies' plaything basically.

She even laughed when a bolder English bulldog started pulling at the hem of her skirt.

Still smiling, Naruto walked up to them. He crouched low and said, "Hey," in a firm tone. The puppy, recognizing an Alpha dog, yelped and tried to back off, but his teeth got caught in the cloth. Naruto helped him out by grasping part of Hinata's skirt and gently extricated the puppy from it.

In the midst of it, the back of his fingers brushed at her calf.

He felt the electric current run through his entire body and he looked up to see her eyes on him. She still had the smile on her lips and he watched, mesmerized, as her lips softly said, "Thank you, Naruto."

Damn it! his heart screamed as it melted into a mess.

She was, if not ecstatically happy, enjoying herself as he asked her opinion which one of the puppies he should get.

Her eyes were lit with pleasure as she picked one up, a fat, heavy one that she hugged to her chest. "This one?" Her voice was breathy and playful.

He pretended to think about it. "Maybe…" he said. But then he shook his head.

She put the puppy down and picked up another one. She lifted this one up in the air and turned him around because his tail was energetically flicking sideways and smacked her on the cheek. She laughed. With the smile still on her lips, she asked, "This lively little one?"

Those lavender eyes were dangerous when they were filled with mischief, he thought, unable to keep his goofy grin off his face. "Uh, Mikoto would kill me?"

"No, then," she said quietly but her eyes were merry.

The next one she tried to pick up whined with protest and barely opened its eyes. Instead of lifting it up, she contented herself by petting its soft fur but glanced at Naruto with her brows raised in question. He shook his head.

"Lazy slob," he murmured regretfully.

Her shoulders shook with quiet laughter.

It went on for a couple more of the puppies, and Naruto confirmed that he was in really deep shit now because he saw what a happy, relaxed Hinata could be. It filled him with hope at the possibilities of what a relationship with her could be like, when she was unguarded and pleasant with him.

And he clung to that idea even as he walked her back home, her arms tight around the little dog because she'd insisted on holding him the entire time. When they got to the gates and were saying good-bye, Naruto didn't kiss her even though he desperately wanted to.

Instead, he watched as she held the gray puppy he'd chosen for Mikoto up to her face, leaned into its soft fur, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to its head, where the puppy gave a happy yelp and licked her on the chin.

Lucky puppy, he thought. He wished he could do that right now.

She handed him the puppy and once more, her hands brushed his over the puppy's fur, making him feel suddenly flustered again to feel her warm skin.

Then she smiled at him, eyes all luminous and soft. "Thank you for today, Naruto. I hope your mother likes him."

She turned and walked away.

* * *

Neji met her at the entrance hall. "Hanabi told me you went out with Naruto. Did you have fun today?"

Hinata blinked at him in surprise, realizing that she _had_. The smile for her cousin was blinding. "Yes, I did, Neji. I never realized how much I love dogs. It makes me want to get one now."

"Hmph." Neji shook his head in amusement. He was more interested to hear her opinion on the _human_ she'd spent time with, but here she was raving about the puppies.

Poor Naruto, he thought and continued to wish the guy luck. He was going to need it.

But before Hinata left him to go for a bath, she said, "You know, Neji, it's amazing how much sons can love their mothers."

* * *

Sasuke and Itachi came to visit him at his place later that afternoon.

He was about to jump in the shower so he could be presentable for when the family was going to go out for Mikoto's birthday dinner that night.

But his brothers at the doorway put a wrench in those plans.

"Okay, so we got called to emergency missions, and Father's still at the police station and looks like he'll be an hour late. As of now, you're basically it for the birthday dinner," Sasuke said as Naruto continued to gape.

"Mother already knows. We told her to continue with the dinner plans because _you're_ still free," Itachi added. "She was sad, but she's waiting for you at home."

"No way!" Naruto finally said when the shock wore off. "Come on, you guys! Why?! Plus, I really think you guys are lying. There's no way that _both_ of you are on a mission!"

"Naruto, I'm in ANBU," Sasuke patiently said.

Itachi only smiled. "I can't tell you why I have a mission. Only Tsunade-sama knows."

Naruto looked at them suspiciously, but he was even more upset that Mikoto wouldn't have everyone there for her birthday.

"She's going to be so disappointed, you know," he said.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, but that's what the puppy is for. When she retires from being shinobi at the end of the year, she's going to be alone most of the time because we're all grown men and have lives of our own."

"Besides, weren't you on that mission last year to Kumo when _you_ missed her birthday. It's just the nature of being shinobi. She understands," Itachi added.

"Yeah, I guess."

Itachi glanced down at the gray dog that had all this time been busily sniffing around Naruto's apartment. "But he's a cute puppy, though."

And Naruto finally remembered something. "Woah, hold up, you jerks! You tell me to go find a puppy that we were _all_ supposed to give to her, and I did. But now I'm going to give it to her by myself?!"

They nodded. "And?" Sasuke said.

"What the _hell_ , man?" Naruto said with a sigh. "If she hates the puppy, then I'm going to be the only one holding the bag!"

"She's not going to hate it," Itachi said soothingly. "It's coming from you, so she's going to love it."

Naruto humphed. "It was supposed to be from _all_ of us."

"Okay, then you try telling Tsunade no, that we refuse to go on the mission she's assigned to us," Sasuke retorted. "Which one is it? Mother or Tsunade?"

Naruto slumped his shoulders. "Mikoto."

Itachi gave him a hug while Sasuke only slammed a fist into his arm. "Alright, we're off then."

Naruto nodded, tried to keep the disappointment and worry from his voice from showing, and said, "Be careful out there."

* * *

"Mikoto, look at what we got you for your birthday," he said as he brought out the basket where the puppy was yelping with excitement.

Instead of looking happy, though, Mikoto looked at Naruto with dismay. "Naruto, I don't need a puppy!"

"Wait, what?!" he asked with a frown. "Mikoto, Itachi said you wanted one!"

"When?! I never did!"

"Crap! Now what do I do with it?"

"Give it back to Kiba?"

"No! I don't want to do that! He's the runt of the litter. He's going to get picked on."

Mikoto looked at the gray puppy climbing on to her lap and her heart softened. She was such a sucker for helpless little creatures, she thought as she gazed at the dog then looked back at Naruto.

She shook her head. No. Absolutely not.

She was becoming a mad old woman if she was going to let this puppy into her house and ruin her tatami mats. But it was already licking her fingers and trying to burrow into her warmth.

Oh, god, she thought with dread. How _cute!_

She sighed. "Naruto! Why do you always get into these scrapes?!"

Naruto sighed, too. "Oh, Mikoto, if I knew the reason why, I'd be in a better situation than I am now."

The puppy gave a playful little bark, jumped off her lap, wagged his tail happily, then promptly piddled on the mat.

_"Naruto!"_

* * *

"Naruto!"

It was loud, and even more surprising when he recognized the owner of the voice calling out his name.

But no mistaking it, Neji was waving at him. Not only that, he was beckoning Naruto to join him to where he stood. And Hinata and her sister were there beside him.

Naruto then decided he would give Neji Hyuuga whatever he wanted, even name his firstborn child after the man.

Hinata slanted her cousin a puzzled look, maybe wondering how in the world the two of them had gotten to be friends, but Naruto didn't care. Neji was actually helping him out.

He was on his way home from a mission—a quick one that had him delivering a message from the Hokage to Captain Yamato secretly stationed at the outskirts of Konoha. Naruto was happy that his mission had ended quickly so he was home in the afternoon instead of later at night.

Neji and his cousins were walking to get some ice cream when he'd spotted Naruto.

"Hi, Neji!" he yelled in greeting as he sauntered up to them. Neji smirked at him.

Hanabi had glanced at the smile on Neji's face then had flashed one of her own at him. "Naruto-niisan," she said, an adorable dimple on her face.

Naruto grinned wider at her and said, "Hey, Hanabi."

Then he turned to Hinata, who was standing silently and the only one out of the four of them who wasn't smiling, but her chakra levels weren't as low as she normally projected when it was just him.

"Hinata," he greeted warmly.

"Naruto," was all she said as she nodded at him, but he took heart that her voice was friendly enough.

His eyes were on her face, but he heard Neji say, "We're on our way to get some ice cream. Do you want to join us?"

Naruto caught the startled glances the sisters flashed at Neji. One had a pleased look while the other had a slight frown.

Neji ignored it and said in a deliberate voice, "It's our custom. We _usually_ go there when we're all home."

He grinned at Neji. "That's good to know. I'd like to tag along if you don't mind."

Hinata flashed Neji a suspicious glance and was about to open her mouth, but Hanabi became impatient. She tugged at her sister's hand. "Come on, let's go. Otherwise, they're going to run out of shiratama dango. Last time, they sold out because we got there too late. I don't want to miss out on them for the second time in a row."

Hinata smiled. "Let's go then."

The two boys followed a few steps later. Seeing that Hinata wasn't in earshot, Neji said, "I'm glad I caught you. I was hoping I could invite you to one of these ice cream dates we have. Now's an opportunity for you to get to know her."

When they got to the ice cream place, Neji managed to seat everyone in a booth. Naruto sat next to him but was directly across Hinata. Hanabi sat next to her sister. Both girls were poring over the menu, with Hanabi animatedly pointing to the new flavors and the specials that the shop had.

Because she was deliberately ignoring him, Naruto indulged himself by watching her.

He saw the way she was with her sister, the way Hinata leaned in close and nodded when her sister would look up with a questioning smile. Then she would reach out a hand and tuck a lock of hair behind her sister's ear, which Hanabi accepted by force of habit. Hanabi, meanwhile, would touch her arm when asking her older sister's opinion and Hinata would murmur quietly what she thought of that particular menu item.

There was so much obvious affection between the sisters. The sparkling lilac eyes Hanabi trained on Hinata teased and pouted, but always, there was love and respect in her tone whenever she said, " _Onee-chan."_

It was a weird date, if you could call it that, since it was unplanned and completely impromptu, thanks to Neji. But seeing _this_ Hinata made him even more fascinated with her. She wasn't openly beaming, but she thrummed with joyful affection. He could feel her chakra glowing warmly with so much love for her cousin and for her younger sister.

Naruto realized that this was the first time he was seeing her with her family, the people closest to her. And it was different. She was determined to please her younger sister and was respectful with Neji.

He liked discovering this new facet to her personality.

"Naruto? Which one do you want? We've all decided except for you," Hinata called out, interrupting him from his woolgathering.

Her lavender gaze was on him and he suddenly felt embarrassed because hers wasn't the only pair looking at him. He could also feel Hanabi's puzzled ones and Neji's amused ones focused on his face.

"Er, what's everyone having?" he asked.

"Matcha parfait," all three said at the same time.

He grinned at all of them. "As expected from the Hyuugas. I guess that makes me the fourth one, then. Make mine the same."

"Don't you like matcha?" Hinata asked, her gaze openly curious.

Naruto froze, realizing that this was the first time she'd ever asked anything about him and had shown an actual _interest_ in his answer.

He felt a warmth in his heart.

With more enthusiasm than needed, he said, "Not really!"

"Oh," she said. And that was that.

But it was a start.

While they waited for their order, Neji and Hinata started asking Hanabi about her latest mission. Naruto listened and watched the interaction between all three.

When their ice cream came, everyone tucked in, but Hanabi was still recounting her recent adventure with a boy named Konohamaru Sarutobi.

"Oh, yeah. He's really nice, don't get me wrong. But I just think he shows off too much, and he was really sloppy during our mission. He just kept wanting my attention when there were so many things to do," she said as she shrugged and licked her spoon. "I don't know what his deal is."

Naruto hid his grin as he listened to her chatter.

Neji slanted a smile sideways at Naruto then said, "Well, you know, Hanabi, desperate boys will do anything to get the attention of the girls they like."

Hanabi snorted. Hinata didn't, but the pinched expression around her mouth showed she agreed with her younger sister, causing a blow to Naruto's ego.

"Well, that's not going to make me like him, I'm sorry!" Hanabi said dismissively.

Hinata slipped one of her shiratama dango onto Hanabi's dessert cup. "Thanks, Onee-san!"

Neji laughed then reached out and gave her one of his, too.

"Hanabi, would you like one of mine?" Naruto offered. "I haven't touched this one with my spoon so you can have it."

She lit up and beamed at him. "Yes, please. Thank you!" She reached diagonally across the table to his parfait that he'd slid closer to her.

As he pulled back his glass, he felt Hinata's approving gaze and was glad he'd done it, even though he loved shiratama dango as much as Hanabi probably did.

Then Hanabi was glancing at him and asking him shyly, "I hope you liked the matcha ice cream?"

He nodded at her. "It's good, better than I expected."

When they were done, Naruto had insisted on paying for everyone, but Neji had been more stubborn and had gotten his way. "I usually pay," he explained, "because I'm the oldest."

Naruto bowed, but he whispered, "If there's anything you want, just let me know, and I'll get it for you. I owe you so much for today."

Neji smiled. He watched as Hinata and Hanabi walked a few steps ahead. But he turned to Naruto and said, "Actually, there _is_ one thing. I'm going to go on a trip in about a month so I won't be here with the girls. Like I said, they usually go on these ice cream dates even without me, so if you can keep watch over them while I'm gone? Then we can be even."

Naruto nodded gratefully. "I would be honored if they would invite me, but I'm not sure if Hinata would let me."

"I'll work on Hanabi," Neji said. "But I think she likes _you_ already. Your poor protege, though."

They both laughed.

Then Neji glanced at him again, a serious expression on his face. "So I really hope I don't regret this, but in two weeks, there's going to be a Hyuuga celebration at our place and Hinata will be dancing in front of the clan. I'd like to invite you to her performance as my guest."

Naruto gazed at her cousin and recognized how important this was for Neji. "Why are you telling me all this? Helping me?"

"Because she's losing it and I really do think you're the only one who can bring her back," Neji said, a worried inflection in his tone.

Naruto could only gaze at Neji with disbelief, grateful for the trust her cousin was placing in him. "Neji, I don't know what to say, but I hope you can see how much I really appreciate you helping me."

Neji shook his head. "I'm doing this for _her_."

"Still, though," Naruto said sincerely. "I really am very grateful for the invitation."

Neji nodded. "Just you wait. It's going to be something to see."

Naruto was filled with so much happiness that he grinned at Hinata's cousin with all the feeling in his heart.

Neji only snorted, but he smiled back at Naruto.

A few paces ahead, Hinata just then turned around and bowed a farewell. Hanabi gave him a wave and called out, "See you sometime, I hope!"

He waved back to Hanabi.

"See you in a couple of weeks, Naruto," Neji said as he turned around to join the girls.

Naruto stood where he was and watched as all three rounded the corner and headed for the Hyuuga compound.

Then he walked home, grateful to Neji for giving him the opportunity to see Hinata dancing, something she loved to do. He was also thankful for Neji's unexpected invitation today.

What Naruto witnessed today made him even more determined to pursue a relationship with Hinata. Because now he saw the potential she could be when she loved somebody wholeheartedly. He saw clearly how much she softened around her sister, the way she would admonish Neji and sometimes even joke with him.

He ached watching the way she was so warm and happy with her family.

The possibilities of a loving Hinata filled him with hope, that someday she would open up her heart to him enough to let him be part of that close-knit, intimate circle of hers.

* * *

The Five-Kage Summit was being held in Konoha that year, and as a show of peace and solidarity, Tsunade had decided to hold a banquet for her honored guests.

Among the delegates attending were the Tsuchikage and his granddaughter.

"She asked for you specifically to attend," Tsunade told Naruto as he faced her in her office. "It was really bold of her to do so."

He grinned unashamedly at her, but she only snorted at him.

"I granted her request, but really, your parents and Itachi, as representatives of the Uchiha clan should be the only ones attending. Just don't make a fool of yourself at the party."

"I won't!" he promised.

* * *

But really, he wondered if he would be able to keep his promise to the Hokage because Hinata and her father were also there to represent the Hyuuga clan.

Naruto had walked into the enormous hall with his family. Despite the room full of people, his eyes were quickly drawn to her presence. The Uchihas had noticed, of course, making Itachi roll his eyes. Mikoto followed Naruto's glance and sighed wistfully, hoping to be introduced to her. Fugaku smiled knowingly at his wife and sons.

Naruto was blind to everything, his attention solely focused on her.

Hinata stood regally next to her father. She was forever beautiful, but even more so tonight. She was exquisitely dressed in an orange kimono, the very fabric they'd bought during their undercover mission in Isetan. He thrilled with private pleasure knowing that it was a secret that only the two of them shared.

Reluctantly, he took his gaze off her and turned back to the people around him because his family was joined by members of other clans.

Naruto found himself saying hello to the representatives of the Sarutobi clan. Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei came to pay their respects to the Uchihas. Mikoto gushed over Kurenai and the news of the baby.

Then their little group was joined by the Hatakes because Kakashi wanted to say hello to his friends.

All of them had been sharing a pleasant conversation and catching up on the latest news when Naruto eventually remembered that Tsunade had asked him to spend time with some of the visitors from the other elemental villages. It had been part of her condition for him to join the banquet. He explained the situation to them and the older shinobi had shooed him away to do his job.

But Naruto struggled to pay attention to what everyone was saying around him when all these people had approached him and became friendly. Most of them were new to Konoha and he answered their questions as best as he could.

Even though he was working, his gaze often would stray to Hinata every time he watched a man approach her and strike up a conversation. After a few minutes, though, they would leave.

And he was filled with gloating when he realized that _he_ wasn't the only one she rebuffed. It was _everyone!_ Or more specifically, all the males.

Kurotsuchi had noticed the way he kept flicking his gaze on Hinata and she'd come to tease him all about it.

Smirking, she said, "Why don't you just _go_ to her?"

He had the grace to look embarrassed. "Is it so obvious?"

She laughed and gave him a hug. Then she turned her gaze on Hinata. "That's your girl?"

He sighed. "I wish."

She heard him, but she continued staring at the gorgeous girl clad in the orange kimono. It should have been garish and gaudy, but the way the girl carried herself made the look elegant and polished, completely at odds with such a flashy color.

She peered more closely at the girl's haughty face and Kurotsuchi's expression became pensive. "She's hard."

Naruto slanted her a look of surprise and shook his head. "No, she's not hard," he said softly. "She's broken."

"And you want to fix her, you poor, deluded fool."

He didn't say anything, just smiled helplessly at Kurotsuchi.

Her face tensed for a fraction, but a pitying expression crossed it when she said, "Wow, I've never seen you like this before. You've got it really bad."

Involuntarily, his gaze flew back to Hinata again when another man approached her. His expression tightened for a bit, then eased again when the man left her side. He turned back to Kurotsuchi.

"You never really loved me did you?" she said suddenly, her face and her voice wistful.

He flushed because he didn't want to lie to her.

She smiled tautly. "It's different for a woman. You don't become intimate with a man without having your feelings involved."

"If it helps, I feel bad about it."

"It's okay," she said with a reassuring smile. But he swore there had been a glimmer of hurt in her eyes.

"I wish I had, though."

"You're sweet," she said with another laugh and brushed her fingers on his face. "I hope you never lose it."

* * *

Hinata didn't like parties and banquets, but it was something to be endured. These things were part of her duty as a representative of the Hyuuga clan. She had to admit that tonight had started off really well.

Kurenai-sensei had approached her and her father earlier. Hinata had conveyed her congratulations to her and her husband when they'd shared the news with her about their pregnancy.

Her former captain glowed with happiness and Asuma-sensei looked really proud. Even her father had flashed a genuine smile filled with joy for the couple.

"It is something we will all be looking forward to," Hiashi said.

They talked for a few minutes but the Sarutobis eventually left to socialize with other people.

With nobody to talk to, Hinata stood next to her father and watched people. A couple of them came to say hello, but with nothing to talk about, they immediately left her side. She couldn't figure out why they came to her when she had nothing in common with them.

Then her eyes lit on Naruto, who was at the far corner of the room, talking and smiling at a whole bunch of people. A woman with dark, bobbed hair separated herself from another man and approached Naruto.

Hinata realized it was the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, Kurotsuchi. The smile on her face was full of warmth for him.

Hinata watched them and saw the way they stood close to each other. He was leaning down to hear what she was saying. Kurotsuchi reached up to touch his cheek. His arm was behind her, slightly holding her close, his hand hovering lightly on the small of her back.

Hinata knew immediately that they'd been lovers, there was just such a familiarity in the way they were talking and touching each other.

Oh, she thought and remembered her lessons from Kurenai.

Flirting. Feminine wiles.

 _That's_ what it should look like.

She saw now clearly what her captain had meant when she'd taught her to flirt that time. There was such a warmth around the couple, such an aura of intimacy and closeness that was so hard to miss. Kurotsuchi was laughing and she swatted playfully at Naruto, who smiled back in response.

Kurotsuchi did it so naturally, unlike the way Hinata always held herself so stiffly when she was around him.

Then his eyes suddenly drifted to hers and Hinata found herself locked in his gaze. She couldn't look away even if she'd wanted to. He was smiling at _her_ , his eyes never leaving her face even as he murmured something to Kurotsuchi, who also looked at Hinata.

Then Kurotsuchi's husband walked over to the couple, making them lose eye contact with Hinata as they watched his approach. Kurotsuchi slinked herself away from Naruto, wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, and smiled charmingly up at him. He rubbed her arm and laughed. He said something to Naruto that had all three of them chuckling merrily again.

They just looked so friendly and so comfortable with each other.

Again, the ease with which Naruto fit with others made her aware of her own lack of it—firmly solidifying why she was so much better working in the dark because she saw clearly how difficult it was to hide when she was in the light.

It made her weaknesses more glaring.

But Hinata, with a burst of honesty, despaired that she couldn't ever look so charming and lovable like Kurotsuchi because she just didn't have that quality in her.

Because how could she?

It was hard to feel at ease, to have the knowledge that no matter what she did, she would be easily accepted and loved.

Her father's quiet chuckle interrupted her dark thoughts. This startled her and she looked up at him, making her realize she'd completely ignored him when she'd been staring at the couple.

"I haven't realized that your relationship with Naruto has progressed this far," Hiashi said.

He'd noticed everything. The way the boy's eyes kept straining towards his daughter and the way she'd also been staring at him.

"I'm sorry?" she asked in confusion.

Her father's smile was gentle. "Hinata, that boy is in love with you. It is _so_ obvious, it's sickening."

Hinata blinked. Then she frowned and shook her head vehemently.

"It's not possible. People don't fall in love so easily."

And not with me, she thought.

"Oh, it's _possible_." He laughed softly. "After all, your mother loved someone like me."

If _that_ was not surprising enough, he did something else that completely shocked her. Her father laid a hand at her back, pushed gently at her obi, and said, "Go to him."

And because she was a dutiful daughter, Hinata did.

* * *

He saw Hinata break off from her father and realized with a start that she was looking at him and heading in his direction. Quickly, he made an excuse and abruptly left Kurotsuchi and her husband. She flashed him a knowing look and playfully waved him away.

Then he almost ran to meet Hinata but forced himself to slow down his pace.

She was walking calmly towards him, that familiar disgruntled look was on her face as if she was trying to figure something out.

He couldn't help the grin that stretched over his lips.

"Hinata?"

"Naruto," she said, and then stared at him without saying anything.

But he waited because he knew that was all he could do.

"I want to flirt with you."

If he could, he probably would have fainted. Instead, he hung on grimly to his consciousness even as he felt lightheaded and giddy. He planted his feet firmly on the floor.

He met her gaze and cleared his throat. "You want to flirt? With me?"

"Kurenai-sensei taught me once, and I would like to try it because I never got the chance to use it. If you would let me?"

He continued blinking at her, still trying to process a Hinata who flirts, but his heart was screaming, Hell, yeah! Bring it on. _Now._

When he'd finally calmed down enough to breathe again, he smiled, and as smoothly as he could, said, "Yes, of course."

Ah, god.

But he was tense, wondering what she would do.

She stared at him and then he watched as she became a different person. Her eyes softened, and she swept her eyelashes low then she took a step closer and looked up at him.

Her lips tilted upward gently. His eyes locked on to them as he heard her say, "You're very handsome."

And he found himself flushing to the roots of his hair, tongue-tied because it looked like she really believed it. Her eyes lingered on his hair, then her eyes were gently moving over his face, making him suddenly hotter.

"Your blond hair, your blue eyes, your coloring, it all seems to fit you—like burnished gold," she murmured and this time, she added a flutter of her eyelashes.

Weirdly, it made his heart flutter too.

Then she took a step back and slowly raised her eyes once more to his.

"I like how tall you are," she said, her voice low and husky. "When I look up at you, it feels really nice."

He knew he should say something, but she was doing a really good job. There was nothing else he _could_ do.

Because this was not flirtation. This was _seduction_.

And he knew something else that felt nice, too, as he looked down at this flirtatious, seductive Hinata, who was so serious, she was treating it as a job.

He knew it, but because she was so earnest, it made him laugh and enjoy himself so much more. It was so typical of her to approach everything like a mission.

"I liked working with you when we were undercover together," she said, and he felt the truth of it pierce his heart.

He gazed into her eyes and said, "Hinata, I did, too."

And her eyes became soft and lush again, like that time she'd danced in front of him and that time she'd fallen in love with the puppies.

If he hadn't fainted before, then now would have been a good time.

But the sound of laughter startled him and he realized that they were still in public, in a crowded room with lots of people who were probably looking at them. For some reason, though, he didn't care.

He continued to smile and waited for her to say more.

* * *

"It's not a staring contest, Hinata," Kurenai had said when she'd taught her to flirt, a smile full of amusement on her face. "The way you stare at somebody will freeze them."

_Think of something happy then bat your eyelashes. Smile gently. Laugh softly. Tell the truth, enough to flatter them._

"Your job is to make the target feel good. You'll know it when they smile back at you. They should look relaxed and at ease."

Hinata dutifully remembered her lessons and did the best she could. This might be her only chance to practice flirting and Naruto was letting her.

Lying was difficult for her. She'd always preferred to be direct. But she was being honest with her words when she told him she thought he was handsome. And judging from his smile, he was enjoying himself.

Something inside her rejoiced, pushed her to do more.

She smiled with genuine pleasure, unaware of the attractive sparkle it added to her eyes. "You know, when we were undercover? And you continued to tease me? I thought I hated it, but when we got back to Konoha, I realized that I actually enjoyed it."

He laughed at that, the sound of it filled her and made the corners of her lips tilt more crookedly.

"Hinata, your flirting skills put mine to shame," he said with a grin.

And she realized that he was leaning in close to her, his arm was at her back just as he'd done with Kurotsuchi.

Her heart twisted unexpectedly.

She could be at ease with him, then! Like people unburdened by their cares, like a normal person without the burden of responsibility heavily weighing her down.

A lightness filled her being for a moment, so she kept the smile on her face even as he drew closer to her.

"I'm going to repay the compliment and say that you look beautiful, too, Hinata," he said a low whisper against her ear. His breath brushed at the skin of her neck and she liked the sensation of it.

He thought she was beautiful. How interesting.

But she couldn't feel the full import of it because he was still talking, his lips almost touching, kissing her hair. It filled her with a pleasant warmth.

"This orange kimono suits you." Then he drew back again and added, "It made wearing that stupid frock during the mission worth it."

She laughed softly then swept her gaze slowly down the length of his body. "Yes, you are much more in your element in a suit."

He flushed suddenly, a vibrant hue that made his cheeks crimson and his eyes gleam bluer. She felt the change come over him as his gaze on her intensified, flitting over her hair and to the obi wrapped tightly around her waist. Then his eyes fixed on the skin showing at the base of her neck, surprising her, making her feel even warmer.

His smile became strained for a brief moment. "Goddammit." He sighed deeply. "This is not the place to have an active imagination."

But it seemed to Hinata that he was yelling at himself.

What happened? she asked herself, completely baffled by the sudden tension that gripped him, by the sudden blaze in his eyes when he looked like he wanted to do something to her kimono.

She looked down at her obi to check if something was wrong, but she could find nothing amiss.

She raised her eyes and met his again, and continued staring at him for a long time, neither one saying anything.

Unfortunately, though, they had to put a stop to the flirting exercises. She tore her gaze away from him just in time to see her father with his hand out waving her back. There was an older man wearing the traditional clothing of the Suna Village standing next to him.

Naruto noticed, too. His smile was filled with regret, but it brightened when he said, "Hinata, if you ever want to try flirting again, I'm willing to help you."

The pleasant expression remained on her face and she nodded. She walked back to her father's side.

Halfway, though, she turned back to look at him. Naruto still had his eyes on her, the smile lingering on his face.

How kind he was, she thought, to indulge in her request to flirt. Then she lifted a hand and gave a little wave.

His grin widened.

It made her feel a funny flutter in her stomach.


	17. Dancing

**Chapter 17: Dancing**

Shingen lifted up a questioning brow at Neji when he led Naruto to the seats in front of the stage. Neji, however, ignored his grandfather and didn't do the introductions or stop to talk to him. Instead, he instructed Naruto to sit next to Hanabi.

Hizashi grinned at him. "Glad you could join us, Naruto!"

Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyuuga only nodded at him when Naruto had greeted Hinata's father.

Surrounded by her family, he felt the difference between his and hers. As before, when he'd first set foot in their home, he noticed again the contrast between the warmth of the Uchihas and the polite coolness of the Hyuugas. Though her father was not necessarily cold, he was not openly friendly like his younger twin.

Her grandfather, though, made his skin crawl. There was avarice and greed, obvious in the speculative way he eyed Naruto. Shingen's eyes were assessing as he slid his gaze between his grandchildren and this son of a Hokage. Naruto could tell he was thinking of ways to milk this connection between him and the younger generation of Hyuugas.

But all thought faded when a hush suddenly gathered and everyone's attention focused on the stage.

Darkness exploded as the lights suddenly cut off.

The slow, haunting wail of a shakuhachi flute pierced the night, eerie in the blackness. Then the flames of the torches that surrounded the stage flared up, bathing the still figure in the middle of the floor in sudden light.

From her bowed position, Hinata slowly stood up, wearing a dark kimono embroidered with silver cranes. The silver threads picked up the reflection of the lights and she gave one careful twirl, hands holding paper fans up in the air, only to slash the air with a downward motion.

Then shamisen strings strummed a rhythm, joined the flute and the slow beat of a taiko drum. She twirled again, a graceful circle, her kimono sleeves flaring behind her as she lifted a foot off the stage and paused for a moment.

Naruto's breath caught as she stopped and tilted up her head slowly, then she was flying again as all the sounds combined and gradually built. It caused her to speed up the dance, making her move from one edge of the stage to the other. Hinata's tabi-covered feet shuffled quickly then slowly as she turned and leapt up into the air gracefully, landing with force and exactness on the stage.

Naruto watched, enthralled, as she twisted her body, lifted the fans up to the air in fluid, exquisite movements.

Just as he did when they'd been in Isetan, he saw clearly how much she loved doing this. It was in the way she moved her body, the practiced and stylized motions so part of her being that she didn't waver from her precision.

But unlike the sensual dance those months ago at the festival, this dance demanded more concentration and control. Yes, Hinata was dancing, but he could see her thinking about the next steps, moving her body nimbly, interpreting the music and its story.

It was difficult and exacting, but like everything, she made it all look effortless and elegant.

Hinata was magnificent.

And he wasn't the only one who thought so.

Beside him, Hanabi was whispering, "Onee-chan," in a hushed, admiring voice. Neji's mouth was lifted upward into a curved line, his face full of affection. Hinata's father and her uncle were sitting side by side watching her dance with identical indulgent smiles.

Hinata, the pride of the Hyuugas.

* * *

He waited for his turn until all her relatives had congratulated her.

"Hinata, you weren't lying when you said you love to dance," he said simply as he approached her. "You do it so elegantly."

Hinata accepted her compliment with a bow, but he was happy to see that she hadn't muted her chakra so low. Naruto could feel a slight warmth coming from her despite the lack of expression of joy on her face.

Still, her lips were tilted upward slightly when he came close to her.

"Neji invited you?" she asked, puzzled, but there was no displeasure in her tone.

Naruto nodded and they stared at each other again because that's all she knew to do when she was with him. Meanwhile, his usual confidence had deserted him and he didn't know what to do when they were together in _her_ territory, surrounded by her family.

A quick glance at Neji showed that her cousin had positioned himself to block anyone from approaching them, trying to give them some privacy.

He turned his gaze back to her, watching the lights from the torches catch the reflection in her eyes, making them sparkle as she gazed at him calmly.

A light wind blew, fluttering the locks of hair that floated over her cheek.

"Your hair's come loose," he whispered.

"It happens when I dance," she replied with a slight shrug, but she did nothing to fix her hair.

So he stepped closer to her and brushed a hand at the lock of hair that had fallen from the tight bun of her updo.

She didn't react but allowed him to tuck her hair behind her right ear.

"Thank you," she said.

Then she waited with a patient expression on her face, seemingly unmoved by his simple gesture.

While he smoldered and drank in her quiet beauty, the stillness of her being.

He wanted her to grin unabashedly again while it was just the two of them.

He wanted to make her soften, to smile again, to make her eyes drowsy and half-close in pleasure as she swayed to a more intimate dance.

He wanted to release that stylish updo and run his fingers through her hair.

He wanted to press a kiss on her skin, to feel her lips under his.

Simply _wanted_.

Her.

While she stood composedly and stared at him with her cool, clear, lavender gaze, unaware of how much he burned, yearned, for her.

"Thank you for coming to see me today, Naruto," she said politely.

He smiled at her. "It was my pleasure, Hinata."

* * *

Neji was leaving for his trip to the beach with his father. The final paperwork had been approved, the reservations for the hotel had been booked, their belongings packed.

Hizashi had pressed a kiss on top of Hinata's head and hugged her to say farewell. "If you want to join us, your father knows where we'll be. You can come any time."

She'd nodded and hugged him back.

Her uncle was now talking to his brother, who'd also come to the Hyuuga gates to see them off.

Neji was smiling. "So I'm off and I don't know when I'll be back. What are you going to do with yourself?"

Hinata smiled briefly. "I'll manage, but I'm definitely going to miss you."

"You did such a good job avoiding me all this time. We never got to talk about my visits to the Yamanakas. I really wish you'd talked to me about what's happening to you, Hinata."

Her eyes hardened, but he continued anyway. "I know we made a pact that we would go on this journey together, but we also need to get some help. I'm willing to do it but I don't understand why you don't want to. There's no shame in getting help. We'll only get stronger if we do."

He sighed when she only clamped her lips shut angrily, stubbornly.

There was regret in his voice. "I wish we could do _this_ together, too."

"Neji," she said warningly.

"Yes, Hinata, I'll say it," he said, ignoring her warning. "That's the reason why I'm going on this trip. This is all for me, for my own selfish need. I want to experience something new, something that doesn't involve destruction or death. I waited for you, but if you're not going to talk to me about anything, then I'm done with you—for now, anyway. And I'm sorry to be leaving you all on your own, but I'm going to try to find a way to calm my soul. I just want to find peace."

She was still resolutely quiet.

"And _you_ should, too."

* * *

_Something that doesn't involve destruction or death._

_I want to find peace._

She sighed. What was this elusive peace that Neji kept talking about?

She was jealous of her cousin. She wished she could find something that would calm her soul, too.

If she were honest, she just didn't know. Recently, she'd been agitated, and even working in her mother's garden was not enough. Hanabi was busy, off on her own and thriving as a shinobi. Anko-sensei was doing wonders for her. Every time she came home, Hanabi was full of praises for her captain.

Hinata hated to admit it, but even dancing was losing some of its joy. She still enjoyed it, the beautiful poses never failed to give her some feeling of accomplishment.

But something just felt missing.

Recently, she'd also been yearning for something more.

Unbidden, the thought of Naruto came into her mind. He, with his smile full of warmth. It never seemed to leave him.

She sighed. She'd been doing a lot of that recently, thinking of him.

What was it about him?

Naruto was kind, always. He was always seeking her out, making an effort to get to know her even though she couldn't understand why, when she'd never asked for his attention. But he was the first one who could always make her smile and do things she normally wouldn't do. Like last week at the party, when she'd tried flirting for the first time.

It wasn't as bad as she'd thought. There had been moments when it seemed fun, even.

And that day with the puppy still made her smile. The teasing way he'd looked at her, and he'd just gazed at her quietly, with approval.

She'd felt so wonderful, like there was nothing she could do wrong because he would always be warmly approving. He wouldn't berate her for mistakes, or make her feel lacking. He would never make her feel like she was nothing.

There had been something, too, in the way he'd looked at her the night of her dance, the way his eyes had been so warmly caressing when he'd helped her with her hair.

Naruto just seemed so happy to let her be what she wanted to be, had even encouraged the lightness she'd felt when she'd held those puppies so close to her chest. She remembered, too, the way he'd grinned at her when she'd been talking with Hanabi over their parfait.

He'd sat across from them and just watched them and listened. Hinata had been surprised at herself that she'd been aware of what he'd been doing. She liked, too, that Naruto had been kind to Hanabi, her favorite person in the world.

And Neji seemed to like him, too, which eased her wariness of Naruto somewhat. Neji was better at these social things she always struggled with. If her cousin found something about Naruto that was good, then she would trust his judgment.

Naruto can't be all that bad, then.

But Hinata was honest enough to admit that even Neji's approval didn't matter in this case because she was starting to become more curious about Naruto.

She was always thinking about the things he said and made her even more interested to find out what went beyond flirting.

Dancing, he'd said that time they'd walked home from Isetan.

Something about soaring and having the right partner.

_No destruction. No death._

_Peace._

Yes, she thought. Naruto might be able to help her.

And, if she were being extremely truthful, she wanted to experience what he was talking about, this thing that was better than dancing.

Hinata made up her mind.

* * *

Somebody was knocking at his door. That was probably Lee, who said he'd come to join them for poker tonight. Naruto left the boisterous crowd of boys in his living room and stepped into the entranceway with a smile of greeting.

When he opened the door, though, his jaw dropped.

" _Hinata?!"_

Everyone must have heard him because there was a sudden silence from the living room.

She stood looking up at him, hair unbound, dressed in jeans and a gray t-shirt.

"Show me this dance," she said as she looked into his eyes.

Without taking his eyes off her, Naruto called over his shoulder, "Out! All of you guys leave _now_."

Kiba's voice echoed loudly from the living room, protesting, "Wait, are you kicking us out for a _girl_?!"

There was a grunt and Sai must have elbowed him.

In his quiet voice, he said, "Kiba, did you not hear him? It's not just _any_ girl, it's Hinata Hyuuga."

"Oh," came the chastened voice of Kiba. "Well, guess it's time to go then."

Naruto heard them grumble as they all stood up one by one and gathered their belongings. They proceeded to leave the apartment, each one nodding at her as they stepped out of the door.

"Hey, Hinata! Haven't seen you in a while," Chouji called out cheerfully to his former teammate as he led the procession.

"Sorry, Chouji," Hinata replied with a warm smile for him. "Been busy with work."

Chouji was soon followed by Shino, and all three shared a smile. They were Team Kurenai. Nothing would change that. Shino stepped forward and laid a hand on her arm and looked into her face. She met his gaze directly and nodded. Shino shared another look with Chouji who grinned at them both. Then the two boys glanced up and pierced Naruto with a hard look.

Naruto shrugged but nothing would dim his smile because Hinata was standing in front of him.

Standing. In front of him.

Of her own accord.

_Show me this dance._

Then Sai walked out of his apartment followed by Kiba. They both nodded at her. Kiba grinned at her and she smiled fleetingly at him then moved her head to include all of them in her greeting.

But there was no embarrassment on her face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company," she told him as Naruto held the door open for his departing friends.

"Oh, don't worry about it. They're nothing important."

Kiba heard it and growled, "Asshole!"

But Naruto didn't care, he was so happy to see her at his apartment. He just grinned at all of them.

Kiba turned to her and said, "Hinata, when you get the chance, make sure you knee him in the balls."

She looked at Naruto seriously. "Will it come to that?"

He laughed. "Hopefully, not!"

But he turned back to Kiba and hissed, "Tell Lee to stay away from my apartment tonight!"

Shikamaru was the last to leave the apartment and shot Naruto a meaningful glance that he purposely avoided. He didn't need that right now. He'd deal with it later.

"Hinata," he said as he nodded at her.

"Shikamaru," she replied, matching his cool tone.

When they'd all finally left, he invited her in. She followed him slowly as she looked at everything in his new apartment.

"I've never been in another person's place before."

For some reason, a thrum of happiness burst through him. A first for her, courtesy of him. He couldn't stop the goofy grin from stealing over his face.

He turned around to hide his reaction and said, "Make yourself free. Do you want anything to drink? I've got tea if you want it, but I'm not sure it's going to be up to your usual Hyuuga standard."

"Thank you. Tea would be nice."

She stood in the middle of the living room looking at the neat stacks of books at the shelves, the discarded stack of cards on the coffee table. Her eyes strayed to the photos on the wall. Some were of their classmates. Most were of his family. She recognized the various Uchihas and one of the legendary Sannin.

He came back with her tea and she took a sip.

"It's passable," she said.

He grinned. "Oh, good. I wasn't sure I brewed it properly."

"You didn't."

He laughed again.

She was blunt, but he liked that she didn't dabble with bullshit and came straight for what she wanted. After all, she was here, in his apartment, wasn't she?

He didn't care why. Hinata was in front of him, looking at him.

She didn't say anything but she quickly finished her tea. He took her empty cup and placed it on his coffee table. He walked back to her and stood in front of her.

He waited, heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Show me this dance," she said again.

"You're serious?" Naruto said, unable to believe her words, but his heart beat even faster, blooming with hope and eagerness.

"I am. I've been thinking about what you said, about the whole thing being a dance performed by people together. I want to try it—with you."

Her words pierced him, made the fire that she'd lit inside flare even hotter.

_With you._

With him and only him, it seemed like.

Naruto's heart danced.

She was looking at his face, trying to gauge his reaction. She didn't seem nervous, only expectant. Maybe she was waiting for his rejection, for him to say no, but he could never refuse her anything. While she didn't seem to understand the depths of his feelings for her, he knew that Hinata was the only one that his heart desired, that his body craved.

But she was here, making an effort to understand this thing that had suddenly blossomed between them.

_With you._

"Yes," he finally said when the silence stretched out long enough. Again, she didn't seem to mind, she was so used to being quiet. But he'd been unsure of what to say. He didn't want to scare her off with the intensity of his feelings, remembering the disastrous way he'd confessed to her.

This time around, though, he didn't need to worry. She wasn't going to run. She stood calmly, expectantly in his living room.

She was waiting for him to tell her what to do. There was trust on her face, and a little bit of curiosity. Her normal chakra levels were higher than what she normally projected, and he recognized that she was finally breaking down a part of her walls to let him in.

It filled him with joy, with quiet happiness as he recognized that this was a significant first step for her, to open herself up to trust other people and to allow them into her life.

He held his smile, but he really wanted to laugh, he was so giddy with happiness. "You can't just jump into this type of 'dancing,' Hinata. There's things you need to do to get ready, so to speak."

"Really?" she asked in a disbelieving tone. She frowned at him slightly.

He paused for a minute.

Okay. She was right.

He was lying, because right at this moment, all he wanted to do was jump her and get her naked on his bed, he was _that_ ready. But _she_ needed to start slowly into this whole thing. She had no experience, or if she did, she didn't really know.

"How do you normally start dancing?" he asked her.

She was puzzled, so he elaborated a little bit more.

"I mean, when you dance, you don't just go straight into it right? You stretch and stuff?" He smiled at her.

"And stuff?" she said with a raised brow, looking him up and down.

So he tried a different tack and asked, "Have you ever kissed a guy before?"

"You mean non-family, right?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Her lavender eyes widened slightly as she remembered. "There was a guy, once," she said. "It was during one of those trips I did for my clan's business. He took me out to dinner and kissed me afterward. It was...nice."

Inexplicably, he felt a spurt of anger at that guy. He wished he could be the one who'd kissed her first.

But he looked at her puzzled face. He felt hopeful. She didn't seem too excited remembering her first kiss.

He felt happy again.

"So you've kissed before. Anything beyond that?"

"There's more?"

This time, a goofy smile lit his face. His heart danced again. So he would be her first _real_ kiss, then. Whatever _that_ had been with the other guy didn't count.

"Did he use his tongue?"

She looked puzzled. "Tongue?"

Naruto laughed softly, finally giving in to his urge. He was grinning like a fool, he knew, but he couldn't help it! This was such a surreal conversation to be having with a girl.

He glanced once more at her face. She was looking at him with that familiar puzzled look, still pondering the idea of _tongue_.

She didn't seem offended by his laughter, though, which meant she didn't think he was making fun of her.

"I guess not," he finally said. "Did he go beyond kissing? Touch you on your body?"

She shook her head.

He could feel himself getting excited, but he needed to tamp it down. Just the thought of him being her first filled him with exultation. He felt blessed that he was going to be the one to initiate her—slowly—into this whole world of romance and sex.

He was flushed, feverishly inflamed, but he forced himself to calm down. "So how about we start with that then? Touching? Then maybe we can do some kissing later."

Her gaze was direct. "So it happens in stages?"

"Not always, but since you're new to all this, I wanted to go slow."

"You doubt my skill?" she asked, her tone disgruntled.

He laughed, loving the frown on her face. "Hinata! It's not about skill. It's about feeling, sensation, emotion."

Her frown deepened. "If we're sticking to the original metaphor, dancing is a skill."

Naruto backtracked, realizing his mistake. "Sure. Let's say this whole thing can involve some skill, but dance is also about feeling the music, too, isn't it? Letting the rhythm guide you in your movements?"

He remembered her closing her eyes to the music and swaying to the rhythm that time they'd been on their mission.

Her face cleared. "Yes, you're right. I see what you mean about feeling."

"So let's start with the touching."

* * *

He held out his hand, palm up, and Hinata felt compelled to place one of hers over it.

He gripped her fingers and started rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand. She looked at their joined hands and felt his eyes on her.

She felt the rough calluses of his hand but his touch was gentle, matching the smile on his face. Still with his eyes on her, he slowly pulled her closer, making her take a step towards him.

Their bodies weren't directly touching, but she felt his heat and breathed in the scent of him. There was a minty aroma mixed in with his natural scent and she remembered smelling it on him when they'd been on the mission last month.

So his soap was made with peppermint leaves.

He didn't wear cologne, she realized. She liked that about him.

Then he was running his hand up her arm, and Hinata unconsciously closed her eyes, feeling the warmth from his hand. His other hand went to her right arm, skimming slowly and caressing gently. She tilted her head to the side and understood what he meant now about feelings.

Something inside her melted at his touch.

He brought both his hands back down to hers and pulled her even closer. The last step she took towards him lessened the space between them so that mere centimeters separated them. She felt his breath on her forehead and Hinata tilted her lips up, her eyes still closed. Again, his hands slowly massaged their way up her arms, then her shoulders, and rested gently on her neck. His strong hands cupped her jaw, thumbs rubbed up gently against her cheeks as the rest of his fingers threaded through the hair at her nape.

And Hinata leaned into this gentle touch, let herself be held and made to feel cherished by his warm hands on her face. It made her forget everything she'd been, that she was not a killer, but a woman who desperately needed to be held and loved.

She took a deep breath and felt the sinews of the muscles of his hands, so reassuring even as his fingers rubbed at her skin. So tender, making her feel worshipped and adored, not even knowing herself that this was something she wanted.

Hinata was breathless. This was not a dance. This was a new thing altogether.

She liked it.

The brush of his lips against her forehead was butterfly soft. He did the same to her eyelids. Then his lips were over hers, lush and warm. Insistent.

Involuntarily, hers parted slightly. He tilted his head and a sigh escaped him, his breath fanning her cheek. Hinata felt his lips firm up as they started gently massaging her upper lip, then her lower lip. He did it for a few minutes and she found herself responding, doing the same thing, making him murmur something incoherent against her mouth.

He broke the kiss and Hinata opened her eyes. He was flushed, but he was smiling.

She smiled uncertainly back at him. "Why did you stop?"

His smile widened. "I wanted to ask you first if you wanted to go further than this?"

"Further?"

"Remember when I told you about tongue?"

There was a flicker of interest in her eyes before she closed them and nodded. "Show me," she said as she pursed her lips again.

She heard his laughter. It caused that strange flutter in her stomach again.

His grip on her jaw firmed as he drew her face up to his again. He moved his mouth against her then his tongue was licking between her lips.

 _Oh,_ Hinata thought. It was different from before.

Then his tongue was opening up her mouth and touching hers, sending a jolt of surprise through her. Giddiness rushed through her body as she reached up to grip his arms when his tongue invaded deeper.

His teeth nibbled, too, and Hinata realized that she was kissing him back, moving her own mouth, angling her head, touching her own tongue to his.

The intensity of the kiss increased and Hinata pressed herself unconsciously closer to his body, but he gentled her again when his tongue withdrew from her mouth and it was only his lips moving across hers. Then moving gently up and brushing against her cheeks, her temples, and finally, the top of her head.

She suddenly realized that his arms were around her.

When did that happen?

She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was breathing deeply, a small smile on his face.

"You lied," she said accusingly. "This is not dancing. It's _more_."

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically, but he didn't look it. He chuckled. "But I got you curious, didn't I?"

She nodded at him, her lips raw from the kiss. He rubbed his thumb against the smoothness of her upper lip.

"It's foreplay," he whispered. "To get you to want more, to anticipate what happens next."

"Foreplay," she murmured softly.

"Yes," he said with a mischievous smile. "The key word is _play_."

She felt herself responding with a smile. "Then we're moving beyond the dancing metaphor and into another category altogether. This is play, then?"

"Maybe I should have started with _that_ metaphor then."

Her laugh was exasperated. "You keep changing things!"

He responded with another grin that she was starting to like.

"Hinata, I am desperately trying to get you to sleep with me," he said. He brushed the bangs at her forehead. "I do what I must."

She laughed at the honesty she heard in his voice. The naked need. It was pure, no subterfuge, nothing to hide, only his desire to get into her pants.

Because there was something about her he found beautiful and wonderful.

She was flattered, if that was the feeling humming along in her veins right now.

To be wanted so much that a man became desperate for you.

She looked at him smiling gently at her.

That this man would try so hard because she was worth the effort.

Was it possible? She could be that kind of person, then?

That she had _value_ to someone?

Something bloomed within her, something she couldn't name.

Hinata felt suddenly buoyant and care-free. It erased the tension she always carried with her.

At this moment, Naruto made her feel playful and happy. He'd somehow managed to lift her spirits in a way that surprised her because she hadn't known she'd become this dark, this gloomy, this resigned to the kind of life she lived.

But she was smiling at him, releasing a burst of chakra that she couldn't—no, didn't _want_ —to control.

* * *

Naruto felt it.

It was brilliant and blinding, made him feel gratified to sense it—humbled him because he realized how much she was changing.

The force of it clobbered him, almost dropping him to his knees, to know how much she was willing to show him more of herself, to see her innermost feelings exploding with a joyful burst of chakra.

A kiss and his admission to his wanting her. She'd been frightened by his original declaration of love and he could admit now that he'd blundered because he hadn't loved her then.

Not the way he loved her now.

To finally see her so unguarded and so trusting—with him—it made his patient attempts to woo her feel like it had been worth it.

If anything, he loved her _more_ now. The few moments they'd had together, he discovered that her numbed exterior hid a capacity to feel deeply. What she did was all for the people she loved so profoundly, she would die to protect them.

He didn't say it out loud, only moved his lips against her temple, mouthing it silently, _I love you, Hinata._

He was scared to give voice to it, still unwilling to take the risk of her running off again.

But if he couldn't express it in words to her, Naruto would try to make her feel it with his body.

He leaned in again, cupped her jaw and touched his lips to hers one more time.

* * *

Hinata felt her heart pounding in her chest as Naruto continued to kiss her senseless. She was kissing him back, enjoying the feel of his lips against hers, so warm and insistent as they probed and learned the shape of hers.

His hands drifted down to her back, gently caressing and she felt them go lower until they were at her butt, holding her lower body closer to his. She felt him pressing against her abdomen and she suddenly understood what he meant about getting ready for her, about not just jumping straight into the act. But all she felt around her was his heat, smelled his warm, minty scent as she breathed him in.

She knew about sex, of course. She'd learned it from books. She knew the mechanics of body parts fitting against each other.

But Hinata hadn't known the thrill of it, the sensation, and she was feeling everything so clearly now.

There was an answering heat in her, somewhere in the pit of her stomach and even lower, pooling between her legs. She was suddenly being lifted as his hands went to cup her butt and lifted her up directly into the hardness that had been at her stomach. Now it was directly at the heat between her legs, and she wanted more than anything to meet it without the hindrance of her clothes.

"Wrap your legs around me, Hinata," he said against her lips. She did, and he groaned low in his throat.

So this was what women went crazy over, she thought. Now she knew, could understand it because she _wanted_ , yearned for something that he could give her.

She felt his lips slide down the column of her throat. She arched her head back to give him better access, and his teeth lightly grazed her skin, making the heat between them intensify.

She was burning, the fever in her wouldn't subside. She clung to his shoulders, loving the strength of him, his leashed power. She'd understood that about him, that he was strong but despite that, he had a gentle touch.

He walked the few steps to the bedroom, carrying her as she was. Until he knelt on the bed and his hand went to her legs locked behind his back. He pressed against her ankle and she released her grip on him. He laid her down on the bed, his lips still fused against hers. His hands lifted her hair and he brought a few strands to his nose and inhaled her scent.

Then he drew back and smiled at her.

"Let's get your clothes off, shall we?" he said.

She nodded and he slowly took off her t-shirt, leaving her in her bra. He reached behind her and unhooked it, but his hands lingered at her back and she felt him directly touch her skin. His palms were rough, the calluses causing a delicious friction against her smooth skin. He brought them back to her front, running his fingers down the valley between her breasts.

And Hinata had to close her eyes as his hands began cupping the fullness of her breasts. They were warm and gently kneading. She felt full and ready to burst. She felt again that fierce heat between her legs and deep within her core.

But it was a new sensation altogether when his fingers brushed at her nipples, making them harden in response. Then was kissing his way down, his lips fastening against her nipples and then gently sucking, making Hinata gasp out loud at the pleasure of it all.

It was a feeling she couldn't compare to anything in her experience, even her pleasure in dancing. His teeth were now gently scraping her nipples, then suckling at the sensitive skin of her breasts, making her whimper out loud.

"Oh, god," she breathed out.

She felt his lips move to her other nipple and she realized that he was smiling, enjoying this as much as she was.

"Naruto," she whispered his name.

She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she threaded them through the soft tendrils of his hair, ran them down his neck, making her realize that he still had his clothes on.

"I want everything off," she suddenly said, knowing that there would be no stopping in this experience. When they were completely naked, the sensations would most likely be amplified, with nothing between them.

It would be complete intimacy.

She was curious. More than anything, she wanted Naruto to show her what it was that made girls giggle and people make fools of themselves.

"Can we do that?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her. "Yes, of course," he said. "But Hinata, are you really sure you want to continue?"

She nodded, her features set. "I want to know. You've made me curious if it's everything that you've promised me. A dance that makes me feel like soaring."

"It is," he said softly as he ran his palms on her stomach, going for the buttons of her jeans. "But if you want to stop at any time, I will."

"You're kind," she said as she reached up a hand to brush her fingers against his cheek.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure about that, but I don't want to be the one to ruin this for you if it's something you don't want."

He hesitated a moment, but his eyes burned into hers. "Hinata, I want to know you're wholeheartedly willing to do this with me."

_Wholeheartedly._

_With me._

For all the confidence he projected to the world, the answer he was waiting for felt heavy to give. The weight of it hung between the two of them.

His happiness in her hands?

Him wanting her this much?

She sensed it.

Hinata smiled at him. "I'm doing this with my eyes fully opened. It's my choice. And I want to do this with you, Naruto."

He closed his eyes at her words and some kind of emotion gripped his face with an intensity that she didn't understand. But then he opened his eyes and grinned at her, leaned down, and kissed her.

"As it should be! Tonight, we're two people who are going to take pleasure from each other."

Then he took off his own shirt and the rest of his clothes, scattering them all over the floor. She looked her fill, running her eyes over his body as he undressed, but still kept his underwear on.

Hinata noticed the difference between his body and hers. Naruto was all sleek and sinewy, his muscles clearly outlined in his toned body. She ran her fingers down his abdomen as he unzipped her jeans. She raised her hips as he drew both her underwear and her pants off her legs. Then she was exposed and opened to his eyes.

He sighed. "Hinata, I've dreamed of you ever since we were together on that mission at Isetan. When you danced against me, I wondered what your body would feel like when you would be in front of me naked. And here you are, so lovely, so beautiful."

He smiled at her briefly and then he was caressing her again, pushing her body down onto the bed and she felt her back press against the cool sheets. His hands were at her arms and her breasts, his lips slowly moving down her front.

And she realized what he was planning when his tongue darted out to lick her bellybutton, grazed against the skin of her lower abdomen.

And moved even lower.

Then he was on her, kissing gently, his mouth nuzzling then licking at her. His hands gripped her thighs wide open for him as he continued to play with her, making her feel wanton and wicked, surprised to realize how wet she was between her legs.

The threads that bound her were slowly coming undone with each lick of his tongue. She realized that she was going to lose control and recognized enough that she could trust him with it. That for the first time in her life, losing control was good. She was shattering, heat spilled through her, winding itself around her body.

"Ah," she breathed out languorously as the pleasure burst. She was writhing on the bed, burning, and her fingers clenched against his head. Hinata was left gasping, crying out his name because it was all she could think of to say.

When she came back and opened her eyes, he was looking up at her.

"Hinata, there's no going back. Are you really sure?"

She looked at him, so flushed, and so… _masculine_ straddled between her legs. His hand was resting lightly on her stomach, the other was absently rubbing her thigh.

No going back. She liked that.

"Yes," she said with no hesitation. She leaned up and grabbed hold of his cheeks, pulling him up to kiss her on the mouth and she opened his lips with hers. Then he was devouring her mouth, mimicking what he'd just done with his mouth at her core. Her breath left her in a slow huff.

"Hinata, I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life."

He took her hand and brought it to his underwear and she felt the heat of him, the shape of him through the cloth. Her hand was gentle as she fondled him. She watched his eyes close as he reveled in her caress.

It was the same then. What he did to her, she could do to him.

"No going back, Naruto. I'm okay with that. I want to know everything. I want to feel you."

"Oh, god," he groaned against her temple as he breathed in the scent of her hair.

He brought his mouth to hers again and his hands began kneading her breasts again in slow, sure circles. He leaned his full weight against hers and she felt his erection against her abdomen, enjoying the hard press of his body, still marveling at the contrast between the bodies of men and women. His was unyielding, while hers molded around his and accepted his hardness.

He shed his underwear, quickly rolled on a condom, but his fingers were opening her, dipping in to tease first, making her gasp again at the sensation. Then something bigger, wider than his fingers was trying to enter her, and then he was bluntly sliding in, meeting a slight resistance.

Still, he pushed unerringly inside her.

Finally he was in her, deep, pulsating, unbearably full. His heat burned her. Inside, around her, the heavy weight of him on top of her. She experimented with flexing her inner muscles and loved the sensation. He did, too, because he groaned, his breath warm against her temple.

"Ah, Hinata, you're so tight, and wonderful, and just so incredibly hot, I can't stand it."

She couldn't answer because she was moaning as she felt him slide out then in again.

"Do you feel that, Hinata?" he murmured against her ear as he flexed his hips, embedding himself more firmly within her depths. She clenched around him and arched up.

"Do you feel hot? Full?" he breathed against her temple this time. "Do you feel like you're going to explode?"

He drew back and looked into her eyes, expecting to see her face bathed in pleasure but was startled to see her frowning at him.

Shit, he thought, was something wrong?

He stopped moving and asked, "Hinata? Are you okay? Do you feel—?"

She reached up and clapped a hand on his mouth. "Naruto, is the play-by-play really necessary during sex? Maybe just let me feel what I'm supposed to feel? You talk too much."

And she _did_ feel him, then, as she felt the rumble of his laughter all the way inside her. The tremble of his body over hers, the shaky press of his lips against her forehead.

It felt _glorious_.

Still smiling, he raised his head and apologized. "Hinata, I'm sorry. You make me lose my mind and I can't help becoming chatty when I'm with you."

"Oh," she said, her eyes puzzled, not understanding why she could do that to him. "Is this it then? Are we done?"

His eyes were merry as he laughed again, tickling her inside. " _Hell_ , no!" he burst out.

But his rumbling laughter stopped, and he thrust again, a nudge that caused her to hitch her breath.

No, they were definitely not done yet.

Then another wet slide, and another deliberate stroke. The next one had her arching her back and groaning softly. The next couple thrusts made her thighs tighten on his hips. Another couple of strokes had her gasping and then pressing her lips more firmly against his skin, trying to prevent herself from moaning aloud even as her arms squeeze him, hands clawing at his back.

Heat gradually built as he quickened the pace, grinding into her, until the last stroke brought her to that peak that made her feel like she _was_ soaring. She couldn't help the cry that escaped her as something wonderful filled her. Her eyes were closed and her head pressed hard against his pillow, her hands convulsively gripping his back.

She felt herself winding down, but he was still sunk within her, but driving still, thrusting until she felt him tense, grip her more tightly. Then he pressed his lips against her temple to groan and then whisper her name in a reverent tone.

" _Hinata."_

* * *

She was quiet even during sex, he realized, grinning to himself like a fool because this was something that only _he_ knew about her.

Still, he was not going to complain as Naruto kissed her on the head. She was lying half atop him, her left arm sprawled across his chest.

She yawned, and he was filled with satisfaction to see her so relaxed and resting lightly against his body, not the usual stiff way she carried herself.

Her eyes fluttered close as drowsiness engulfed her.

"Do you need to go home tonight?" he asked softly, his mouth pressed to her temple, lips moving, caressing her hair, even as his nose was inhaling the scent of her shampoo.

He seemed to be fascinated by her hair, she realized. He'd done that several times the whole time she'd been at his apartment.

"Yes," she murmured sleepily.

"Okay, go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you up in an hour?"

"Thank you," she whispered as her eyes drifted close.

He, meanwhile, closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm down because Hinata was here. In his apartment. In his bed.

And he had just made love to her.

Oh, god, he thought. She was beautiful, everything he hoped she would be. Those unguarded, open moments, when she'd climaxed, she'd hid nothing from him and let herself just be caught up in the moments of joy and pleasure.

When she'd opened her eyes and breathed erratically, her hand on his cheek, her silence after it all. She hadn't known what to say, so she'd only said _Thank you_.

Like he'd given her a gift when it had been the opposite.

It shattered him, made him feel how beautiful that gift had been.

He continued to watch her sleep, the moonlight played across her features, emphasizing how relaxed and how trusting she was to be sharing such intimacies with him. To trust him enough to let herself defenseless in sleep.

When the time came to wake her up, she did so abruptly, sitting up on the bed with a start, almost bumping him on the chin with her head, but he mercifully avoided it.

He laughed when her startled eyes lit on his chest and then she looked down at herself and saw that she was as naked as he was. A moment later, she blinked and the realization of what they had just done made her smile.

But she said nothing, she only gazed at him and reached out to flatten a palm on his chest, right over his heart. He placed his over hers, his lips tilted up, and he wanted to say again that he loved her, but he held back.

Instead, he said, "I'll walk you home."

She shook her head. "No, that's not necessary."

Without losing his smile, he said again, "I'll walk you home, Hinata."

She must have known he wouldn't budge because her hand tightened over his chest and she nodded.

They were quiet when they started out. He reached for her hand and she instinctively tried to pull back, but his hold was firm. She looked up at him, at the smile on his face and she relaxed enough to let him hold her hand in his the entire walk home.

As always, she was quiet, and he matched her reflective mood and refrained from saying anything that might ruin the moment. He knew all this was new for her and she needed to process everything, to make sure that she wouldn't regret the time she'd spent with him today.

When they reached the gates, the payoff was reward enough, because when he leaned down to kiss her on the lips, she was ready to meet him with her uptilted face and closed eyes.

He brushed his mouth over hers gently, but his smile was jubilant.

When he lifted his head, she was smiling at him tentatively. "Can I come see you again?"

His heart rejoiced.

"Hinata, anytime."


	18. Boy with Love

**Chapter 18: Boy with Love**

"So are you going out with Naruto?"

Sakura was confronting her. They were standing on the sidewalk. Hinata had been on her way to pick up her uniform from being repaired and had run into Sakura in town.

Hinata blinked in surprise. "Is that what he and I doing? Going out?"

" _I_ don't know!" Sakura gasped. "That's why I'm asking _you_."

Hinata struggled for something to say.

"Right," the medic said as she watched the puzzled expression on Hinata's face deepen.

Sakura looked at her watch. "I have to go see Tsunade-sama right now but do you have time to finish this conversation today? Can you meet with me in an hour? At the zenzai place? I'll treat you!"

Hinata had nothing else planned so she agreed to it. She wanted to know, too, what was going on. What was happening between her and Naruto. If Sakura could help her, then that would be a good thing.

An hour later she met up with not only Sakura, but Ino and Tenten as well.

She frowned. "I thought it was just you and me, Sakura?"

"I know, but I need reinforcements," Sakura replied apologetically. "I don't think I can handle this conversation by myself. We're talking about you and Naruto here."

Ino smiled at her. "Plus, Hinata, I think you need a lot of perspectives to help you figure this whole thing."

Tenten laughed. "Me? I'm just curious and just want to gossip with you guys. But I was on a team with Neji for a couple of years working together, remember? I just wanted to see what this is all about."

"Fine," Hinata said doubtfully.

A few minutes later, though, she wanted to massage her temples because she had a headache. The girls were relentless. As soon as they'd sat down and given their orders, there was a barrage of questions.

"Where'd you guys go on your first date?"

"Did _you_ ask him out or did _he_ ask you out?"

"How long have you guys been dating?"

So she told them everything, not holding anything back. After all, they only wanted information. She told them about their last mission together, how he'd confessed, their time together with her family and at the Inuzuka's, and how she'd knocked on his door a couple of weeks ago.

She answered their questions unflinchingly, without embarrassment, even as she watched expressions of surprise, concern, and horror cross their faces.

The silence that greeted her when she finished talking was puzzling.

" _What?!"_ came Sakura's sudden screech when she could finally process the information she'd just heard. "You guys are already having sex?! And you haven't even gone out on an _official_ date yet?!"

"Shh! Sakura, keep it down," Ino said as she glanced around at the other customers who were staring at their table.

Tenten laughed. "Ooooh, Neji's not going to like that."

"Have you met his family? Has he even introduced you to them? Not Sasuke, of course, but Itachi? His father? His _mother_?" Ino asked.

Hinata shook her head.

Sakura rubbed her temples, still trying to understand. "So he confessed already, you guys had sex, but no proper date. You guys messed up the order! You're supposed to do it the opposite way."

"Sakura! That doesn't matter," Ino said. She pointed to Hinata. "Look at her! She's not bothered by it. And if you've seen Naruto around recently, he's looking really happy. So if it works for the two of them, then they have the right to do whatever they want to do."

"Yeah, but…" the medic said.

"We haven't even _talked_ about his family," Hinata said with a shake of her head.

They stared at her again, dumbfounded.

"And you've already had sex with him, right?"

"Tenten!" Sakura said with a glare at the other girl. "There's no need to ask the question again! She's already said yes!"

She smirked at Sakura. "Don't be such a prude. Are you jealous because _she_ has and _you_ never did?"

Sakura's cheeks bloomed with color, but she gave an exasperated sigh. "That's not it! I just want to know what _this_ is between the two of them. You know how protective his whole family is with Naruto, right?"

Ino nodded and Tenten flashed Hinata a sympathetic look. "He's the biggest mama's boy in Konoha."

But Hinata remained expressionless. She shook her head again. She hadn't known.

Sakura flushed guiltily. "And actually, that's why I wanted to talk to you. Sasuke wanted me to ask you, Hinata, if you guys are serious."

Hinata frowned. "Serious?"

Her face must have shown confusion because Tenten looked at Ino meaningfully.

"Educate her," she told her.

"Listen, Hinata," Ino began. "There's kind of a thing about Naruto..." She pointed to Sakura, who nodded. "He's only gone out with Sakura from among the girls in the village. He's never gone out with anyone else in Konoha. Outside, though, there's been rumors that he's gone out with Kurotsuchi from Iwa. And that they still continued their relationship or something like that."

"He's never told me that." But Hinata remembered the familiar way Naruto and Kurotsuchi had spoken to each other and she could completely believe the rumors.

"Yeah, well, it's only a rumor. Nobody really knows about it," Tenten said.

"It's _only_ a rumor. This is what Sasuke has told me," Sakura said firmly. "That relationship ended a long time ago. They're not involved with each other at all, but Sasuke and the rest of the family don't say anything otherwise so the rumor keeps popping up here and there. But now, though, you guys were seen walking around together and people are wondering."

"But what does this have anything to do with me?" Hinata asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Hinata!" Sakura screeched one more time. "It has _everything_ to do with you!"

"Sakura, calm down!" Ino said.

Tenten smiled, looking like she wanted Sakura to do the opposite, but she said nothing.

With a warning look at Sakura, Ino said, "What Sakura meant to say was Naruto's been sought after all this time because of his pedigree. I mean, his secret about being the jinchuuriki also just exploded a couple years ago. Everybody knows who he is."

Again, they were looking at her like she was supposed to know this, but she just hadn't cared.

But Ino continued talking. "And Hinata, you're a girl who's just never stood out, but now suddenly you guys are an item. People are going to be analyzing your relationship with him— _if_ you continue to go out with him."

Hinata remained quiet and pondered this. "So if I continue spending time with him, people will question the validity of it? Why? It doesn't make sense."

"Everything about Naruto doesn't make sense," Sakura said unironically. "Adopted by the Uchihas, son of the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya's godson, blah, blah, blah. Just so much crap to unpack. But it makes him mysterious so there's lots of girls interested in him. Anyway, just watch your back because you're competition."

Hinata smiled with humor for the first time. _Watch my back._ I've been doing that since I was young, she thought.

She could be confident _there_. But the whole relationship thing was complicated. It almost made her wish she hadn't gone down this path with Naruto, but she thought of the last time she'd seen him, the last lingering kiss they'd shared—and pushed the thought firmly away.

Tenten laughed. "Even if they haven't made their relationship official, I think it's awesome. You know, friends with benefits!"

"What do you mean benefits?" Hinata asked.

And the other girls dissolved into laughter.

"Oh, _god_!" Tenten chortled in between breaths. "Please don't let Naruto know that you're questioning the benefits!"

* * *

Naturally, Hinata told Naruto about the conversation she'd had with girls the next time she saw him.

"Friends with benefits?" he repeated. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Tenten mentioned it today. The girls cornered me this afternoon and asked about our relationship."

His eyes were merry. He leaned down and kissed her on the temple and was happy to see her raise her head in expectation of his kiss.

It was progress!

But as always, it was up and down with her.

"Are we even _friends_ , though?" she asked, which had him sputtering again because she had a point. He didn't know what to call their relationship, either.

She was gazing up at him, the serious expression on her face was enough to melt him again.

He smiled. "I'd say we're lovers."

Her eyes rounded at the thought. "Lovers," she murmured. Then she smiled, liking the sound of the word, the images it created.

"Yes," he breathed.

And she smiled and reached out to cup his cheeks with her hands and drew his face down to hers.

"Okay."

* * *

Hinata approached sex the way she did her missions, Naruto realized. Seriously, and with utter devotion.

She was willing to try anything and she learned it well, expressing her opinion on everything. Like that time she'd been surprised when he'd flipped her onto the bed and pressed her down onto her stomach.

"Wait, we can do it like this?"

"Hell, yes!" he'd replied as he kissed her on the shoulder and nipped her skin lightly.

Afterwards, she'd purred her approval. "Yes, I like this."

And he'd been so happy, they did it again. Several times, that night.

Yes, most definitely, they were lovers.

Now, she was looking at him with a question in her eyes as he cupped her jaw tenderly with both hands and brushed his thumbs against her cheeks. She loved this, he could tell. Something as simple as his hands cradling her face softly made her unconsciously close her eyes, breathe deeply, and then lean into him trustingly.

Truthfully, he loved it just as much as she did.

But his thumbs brushed against her lips and he kissed her again.

He drew her to the bedroom and slowly undressed her, awed by how much she'd changed since he'd met her. Somehow, she was gentled. Something about the intimacy of sex with a loving partner thawed the emotions she rigidly controlled.

He was glad. It was slow going, but he loved that she was slowly letting him into her heart.

"Is it okay if I kiss you on _your_ body?" she whispered when he looked into her face.

_Okay?!_

His eyes nearly bugged out because he could imagine the places on his body where he wanted her to kiss.

"Uh, sure, Hinata."

So she slowly undressed him, too. With each article of clothing she took off, she kissed the skin revealed, until he was only in his underwear and she was looking at the bulge in the middle with a perplexed look on her face. She was chewing on her lower lip slowly.

Then she glanced at him and said, "This part, too, yes?"

She wasn't flirting at all, but her eyes were curious.

He mumbled something. He didn't know what because he was already melted into a puddly mess on the bed. Then he was lifting his hips as her hands slowly drew his boxers down his legs.

It was the gentlest kiss, lightly feathered all over him. But she experimented with a lick, then opened her mouth fully to take him in. There was subtle pressure as her cheeks drew in to suckle. Tightness, then easing, repeating the pattern as she continued kissing him.

He was sighing, groaning, dying a slow death on the bed as she steadily worked on him.

With one regretful breath out, he gripped her shoulder as he shifted on the bed and moved himself away from her mouth.

She looked up in confusion until he raised her up to her knees and positioned her over him.

"Here, try this, too," he said. "I think you'll like it."

Her eyes widened. Then she placed her hands over his abdomen and slowly lowered herself onto him.

He watched the expression of surprise and pleasure flicker over her face as her thighs slackened and she sank fully onto his body.

Without breaking his gaze on her, he nudged upward. And did it one more time. Her eyelids fluttered close.

"Oh."

And then he placed his hands on her butt, squeezed, and applied more pressure so she felt the fullness of him lodged within her. Her sigh came out in a long, drawn-out breath.

" _Oh._ "

And then he moved his hands to her hips to lift her up and then sink her once more against him.

"Oh!"

She got the message and moved on her own, experimenting with angles, leaning back or forward, to see what gave her the most pleasure. Sometimes, her nipples would brush erotically against his chest, or sometimes her long hair, with her head thrown back, would brush against his thighs.

Once she found the angle she liked the best, she fell into a steady rhythm that had both of them gasping and groaning, filling the room with their cries. Her hands pressed against his stomach, clenching against his skin even as he heard the lush, sensuous cry from her lips that let him know she'd hit her climax.

But really, he was already drowning because he could feel her squeezing him, lovingly gripping him inside her. Naruto just wanted to watch her first as she flew apart, and then the part he loved the best, the part where she breathed his name. And then the sigh of satisfaction that came right after it.

Unfortunately, he was a greedy bastard and he wanted more of that, so he took her by surprise when he surged upward again and her eyes flew open, looked down on him straining to give her bliss again.

"Ah!" she yelped as he anchored her hips in his hands as he rocked steadily, insistently into her, until the slick heat of her pushed him over the edge and electricity rushed through his body. Then he felt taut and torn apart for one brief euphoric moment, and then he was back down on the bed, dragging her warm body along with him as she crashed into his chest.

She was still convulsing around him and she pressed her mouth against his shoulder as another wave of pleasure made her tense and sink her teeth against his skin. Then a sigh brushed his ear and the hair against his neck when she finally relaxed against him.

He laughed, he couldn't help it, as happiness flooded him. Several weeks ago, he would never have imagined that Hinata would ever be sprawled on top of him sharing this wonderful dance that she had once dismissed so casually into his face.

She smiled in response to his laughter as she turned her face to him. "Hm?"

He shook his head and kissed her on the nose. "It's nothing. My own private joke."

"Okay," she said as she yawned and then looked at the clock.

His happiness dimmed a little, but he continued stroking her back.

Of course.

Up. Then the crashing back down.

"Will you stay the night?"

She shook her head.

He sighed but he pressed a kiss on top of her head. "Okay, I'll wake you up in an hour, then?"

She nodded and tucked herself more firmly against his body.

Naruto closed his eyes to drowse lightly.

But half an hour later, she woke him up abruptly.

It started with a little tremble. He felt the bed shaking with her slight movements, but it gradually built up into more pronounced tremors of her body.

He'd barely been able to move slightly away but his arm went up to block her assault when her arm lashed out with deadly intent to kill just as she let out a whimper. Her words were incomprehensible, but the fear was real. Then her legs kicked out and her arm swung upward to defend herself against whatever was attacking her in her dreams.

Naruto fought at her flailing arms as he tried to calm her. Her eyes were still closed, she was still caught up in sleep.

"Shh, Hinata," he whispered, his hands gentle against her arms.

"It's okay," he kept murmuring because she seemed to be responding to his low voice, her wild movements gradually stilling, until finally, her breathing evened out again.

He continued to rub her arms and her back as soothingly as he could even while his own heart pounded painfully in his chest.

"Damn," Kurama rumbled.

Naruto laughed humorlessly. "'Damn' is right."

When he woke her up later, she seemed unaware of what had happened. She only blinked sleepily into his concerned eyes. Then as custom, she reached out again and placed a gentle palm on his chest, completely different from the way she'd almost tried to hurt him earlier.

He was lost in thought as he walked her home, debating whether to bring it up and decided against it. She might run from him again if she knew that he knew about her nightmares and he didn't want that.

But when they got to the gates, he said, "Hinata, if you have anything you want to talk about, I'm here okay?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What makes you say that?"

He fell into his teasing mode, "I'm just saying, 'friends with benefits'? You asked me about it today. If anything like that comes up again, I'm here to clear things up for you."

Hinata relaxed. "Oh," was all she said.

Relieved, Naruto leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, but the hug he gave her was stronger than usual. She hugged him, her hands splayed against his back, slowly moving up and down and then gripping him close to her body.

Again, progress. Little steps.

She was hugging him _back_.

* * *

Jiraiya and Kakashi came back from their trip to Amegakure unscathed. Naruto went to go see them as soon as they were back in Konoha. Their trip to Kumo had been at the request of the Raikage, who had asked the two specifically for their help in untangling some complicated seals with connections to the original Sage of the Six Paths.

After their trip, they'd gone to Amegakure to look for more clues on Orochimaru. There had been a few leads, but none of them had been successful. Still, though, the whispers were proof enough that Orochimaru was surely alive.

While Naruto was happy to see them safe, Kakashi and Jiraiya both looked exhausted. Instead of asking them for their advice on what to do with Hinata as he'd originally planned, he left them alone and didn't burden them with his own problems.

But the next time he saw the girls, though, Naruto lashed out when they started pestering him about his relationship with Hinata.

"You guys need to butt out! This is between me and her," he glared at them when they wouldn't stop. "Don't meddle because you guys are going to mess this up for me."

Ino and Sakura were just coming back from a mission and had run into Naruto coming out of the Hokage Tower.

Sakura glared back. "We're not meddling! We only want what's best for the two of you guys."

Naruto sighed. "Look, just leave our relationship alone and don't go confusing her any more. It's complicated, okay?"

"And _you're_ really going to be the one to uncomplicate this for her?!" Sakura asked with disbelieving snort.

"What's it to you, anyway?!" He folded his arms and gave her a dirty look. "I know that Sasuke's been asking you to find out, because he hasn't come right out and asked me. You and Sasuke just need to stop sticking your noses into my business! I never meddled in _yours_!"

Sakura drew back and was about to say more when Ino interrupted. "Sakura, Naruto's right. Maybe we should give them space. They're still in the beginning phase of this relationship."

Sakura sighed angrily. "I know that, but at the same time, I don't want to see any of them hurt."

Naruto relented. "Look, I get you're concerned for both of us, but honestly, this really doesn't involve you. Let me and Hinata handle it the way we can. Like I said, there's a lot of things that you don't know."

Sakura's frown deepened. "See, that makes me even more worried now."

"Sakura! Just mind your freaking business!" he yelled as his temper flared again. Instead of continuing the argument though, he abruptly turned around and left the both of them.

He was a few feet down the street when he heard Ino calling out his name and running after him. Luckily, Sakura wasn't there. He breathed a sigh of relief. Ino was a little more reasonable because she wasn't dating any of his family.

He waited for her. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Ino," he apologized when she stopped in front of him. "I just don't want to mess things up with Hinata. I know Sakura means well, but she doesn't understand how complicated things really are."

Ino nodded. "I know."

And Naruto understood enough about Ino's abilities to know that she really did.

"She's got really bad nightmares and I think she doesn't know that I know."

She sighed. "I knew it."

"I want to bring it up with her but I know she's going to run and I don't want that, Ino. It took so _long_ to just get her comfortable with me. And now that she's finally with me, I just don't want to scare her away and not come back."

Ino looked at him kindly. "Don't push her, Naruto. When Hinata's ready, she'll talk."

He sighed. "I know, Ino. I'm trying to get her to talk to me, but she won't. She thinks she's being strong, holding on to her control and refusing any kind of help. Every time I try to reach out and lend a supporting ear, shoulder, hand, whatever, she folds into herself and won't give me a chance."

"It's usually the case with these things, but I'm glad you're noticing that about her. It shows you really do love her." She smiled at him, her face proud. "That's all you can do right now, Naruto. It's probably not what you wanted to hear."

Naruto brought his hands to his face and rubbed angrily. "Nope, not what I wanted to hear at all, but I knew this was going to be hard when I started this relationship with her. I just wish things could be better for her, you know?"

She nodded. "Just try as gently as you can without forcing her. Be available for her when she needs you."

"I'm doing my best, Ino."

She saw the misery in his eyes and laughed, but not callously. She was extremely sympathetic, and she was supporting both of them. "Yeah, and it's good to see. It's good for Hinata, too. I'm glad you're giving it your all to help her figure things out."

He smiled at her but he shook his head at himself.

"Naruto, don't give up on her."

She gave him an encouraging pat on the arm and left.

* * *

He didn't think he could give up on Hinata because she continued to see him, came to him and actively sought him out. Every time he saw her, his heart lifted and softened and just made him feel so wonderful that she was slowly letting him into her carefully built world.

And Naruto was glad to be there when her night terrors came and he could soothe her with his touch, his voice. He would watch the frown on her face slowly fade as he massaged her arm, her back. Then he would continue holding her into the night until her deep breathing indicated that her dreams were calm. Finally, he would wake her and walk her back home.

But it made him feel impotent to just watch her and not be able to help her deal with whatever she was struggling with.

Once, he'd asked her about her mission the following day.

She was quiet for a moment and he feared her rejection.

But Hinata answered him honestly. "It's a solo mission."

From her, it was enough of an admission to what she really did. The first time it had ever been mentioned between the two of them. Inwardly, he flinched but kept his smile on his face, even as he understood how much it cost her to tell him that.

But at least she opened up enough to let him know that she knew that Naruto knew about her being an assassin and she trusted him with the knowledge.

He wouldn't forget.

"Thank you for telling me," he said even as his heart recoiled, imagining the horrors that awaited her once Hinata stepped out of Konoha, but he pushed the thought away and remembered instead the moments when she'd laughed at his jokes or closed her eyes waiting for him to kiss her.

Then he reached out and hugged her.

 _I love you_ , he wanted to say. _Be careful out there._

But he knew her now enough to know that she would reject that. Instead, he said, "Come see me when you get back, okay?"

She sighed into his chest, and he felt the warmth of her breath seep past his clothes and brush against his skin. She nodded, wrapped her arms around him, and threaded her hands in his hair, gently kneading, stroking the back of his head.

They stood like that for a long time, until she pulled away. She gave him one last look and a smile before she turned around and opened the gates.

* * *

Hinata, meanwhile, found herself inexplicably drawn to him. He was very open and upfront about his feelings, he didn't even try to hide anything from her. Naruto always gave off a warm and happy energy when she was around him. But she found it fascinating that he would allow himself to be read so clearly.

Was it only around her? Did he do it with other people, too?

She guessed so.

People seem to flock to him. Every time they were out in Konoha, many people called out to him and came to talk to him—exactly as the girls had said. He was always sunny and would generously give them a portion of his time and engage in short conversations.

Then their gazes would fall on Hinata, and her silence and direct gaze would make them uncomfortable and they would hastily walk away after making an excuse.

She watched the villagers leave them and unconsciously swiped her hands three times against her thigh.

He caught the quick action and knew it was one of those things she was trying to keep a secret from him. Simultaneously, she dimmed her chakra. He'd picked up on it so many times already that it was something that she wouldn't be able to hide from him anymore.

Naruto began to suspect that she was struggling under the weight of her responsibilities, especially now, when she'd just gotten back from her latest mission.

He noticed the trembling in her fingers, the way she nervously slid her palms on her thighs and wiped them discreetly again. Every so often, she looked down on her hands and would stare at them.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" he asked unthinkingly because he was increasingly becoming worried.

She nodded briefly then hid her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." There was a hint of annoyance in her tone.

He decided to drop it, but all the while, he continued to look out for the signs.

* * *

They still haven't gone out on their official date yet, but it didn't bother him. She wasn't bothered by it, either. In fact, she seemed to prefer it when they were just together in his apartment and she would just simply lean into him and just very gently touch their bodies together.

Sometimes they would eat in. They sat together on the couch or on the floor in front of the coffee table. It reminded him so much of the mission they'd had together in Isetan, those first few days he'd spent time with her.

"You and your ramen!" Hinata scolded quietly with a smile on her face as she watched him slowly bring over their piping hot instant noodles.

He picked up a dried cabbage with his chopsticks and showed it to her. "Hinata, it's healthy. Look, there's _vegetables_. Isn't this cabbage?"

She humphed but she accepted her noodles from him and scooted closer to where Naruto sat.

* * *

"You never learned to cook?" she asked.

"Nope!" he cheerfully replied. "Mikoto tried to teach us once, but only Itachi got the hang of it. By that time, I was already genin and was making money so I didn't need to learn to cook. I just bought anything I wanted from the store."

They were on the bed and he was trying to get her to do it one more time, but she'd stared at him despite his teasing and his most charming smile. She was firm, she was going home early today and only had an hour with him today. With Neji gone, Hinata had to help her father do some accounting with the tea business.

But before she walked through the gates of her home, she wanted to offer him something.

"I'll teach you to cook," she said. "I know some basic meals. We can do it together. At your place?"

He glanced at her in surprise and saw the sincerity in her face. He felt like floating. She wanted to do something together with him! So he looked into her eyes and infused as much happiness into his expression before he slowly reached out to grab her.

She watched him calmly, expectantly, and didn't shy away from his touch when he hugged her and suddenly lifted her off her feet and twirled her around. "Really?! Hinata, yes!"

She gasped out loud but clung to his shoulders and held on. When he set her down, there was a smile on her face and the familiar puzzled furrow every time he did something she didn't understand.

"This is the extent of my dancing skills," he said with a happy grin.

She laughed. "So I'll see you in a couple days?"

He nodded. "I'll be waiting, Hinata. Let's see if you can teach me something that even my family thinks I can't do."

* * *

It had started out well enough.

"If you can wield a kunai, you can wield a kitchen knife," she said sternly and handed him one of her own knives, shiny and sharp.

Hinata showed him how to julienne some carrots, but he just couldn't get it to look as thin and as neat as hers.

She chewed at her lower lip and looked disdainfully at the uneven mess of his pile. But she gave him an encouraging nod when she looked at his face.

Still, he grinned and did what she instructed. He didn't care. He was just so happy they were standing in the kitchen and she was sharing this activity with him.

They were chopping the burdock root they'd bought from the store when he asked, "Do you like cooking?"

She shook her head. "Not really, but I had to learn it."

He was surprised. Naruto didn't think there was anything that she didn't like doing because she was so stoic about everything.

Then she hesitated for a brief moment and said, "I usually only cook vegetarian meals."

And Naruto suddenly felt his insides crawling again as he remembered what Neji said about them training with their grandfather when they'd been younger, remembered again that time she'd pulled a kunai on him, that overturned meat cart in the street.

But Hinata continued chopping her vegetables while he tried to think of something else to say.

"How come you had to learn it?" he finally asked.

"Oh, Hyuuga girls have to learn a lot of skills that the clan decides is necessary."

He smiled at that. "Oh, yeah?"

She nodded. "Yes, as a Hyuuga, the two main roles that we're best suited for are wives or shinobi."

He snickered. "Really?! That's quite a gap."

She shrugged. "Not really. As Hyuuga wives, they can become married to strong political families with power. Lots of former Daimyos have Hyuuga wives, dignitaries, some clan heads usually have Hyuuga wives. Think of the reach our clan has. Why we have so many contacts all over the elemental villages. There's influence there."

His amusement died.

Yes, she was right, he thought, as he remembered the information stored in his head. Various political leaders had married many Hyuuga women.

But his breath caught.

Hinata.

Married to another man.

For political power, like Kurotsuchi and her husband.

He was frozen and stopped chopping. He started to sweat. He swallowed and dared to ask the question: "Are _you_ going to be married off?"

Unaware of the feelings roiling within Naruto, Hinata continued julienning. She shook her head and missed the look of relief that crossed his features. "No, Hanabi and I are the clan head's granddaughters. We _always_ become shinobi. We have to carry on that tradition. Wives are good, but Hyuugas would prefer to raise strong shinobi."

She stopped chopping and looked at him with a disgruntled frown. "Plus, Neji says I would make a terrible Hyuuga wife because I'm too blunt and socially awkward."

After that, his enjoyment of preparing the meal plunged because all he could think of was Hinata with another man.

Until she looked at him with her frown and he remembered how long it had taken her to warm up to him. He knew that imaginary guy would never come into her life because _he_ was the one already in it.

And he would destroy anyone who tried to replace him.

"You still haven't finished chopping your vegetables, Naruto," she said. Then she folded her arms. "Dinner will be _very_ late."

Which meant not enough time for sex.

He looked at the vegetables they still needed to chop.

"Hinata, you said _simple_ meal."

"It is."

He sighed. He needed to do this fast.

_Oh, Kur—_

"No!" Kurama growled. "You chop your own damned vegetables!"

* * *

The couple times they'd gone out, Naruto found himself having fun just simply walking around town because she was by his side, holding his hand. She'd initiated the touching when she'd unconsciously reached for his.

It was enough for him.

She'd steered him towards the park where she was content to look at the flowers.

She pointed to a pink one. "Cosmos. When I was a child, Hanabi and I would often come here, pick them, and bring them home."

It was meant to be a light conversation, but the significance of her sharing, on her own accord, that one detail about her childhood and her family made him tense and breathe in sharply.

Hinata, who never shared anything much about herself, had let that fact slip and she hadn't even realized it.

It filled him with joy again.

Naruto beamed down into her puzzled face.

"Naruto?"

He just grinned at her. "I'm hungry! Let's go get some ramen. I know this great place."

She chuckled quietly. "Real ramen with meat and vegetables?"

"Sure," he said.

They walked to Ichiraku, but she murmured for his ears alone, "One of these days, I'll take you to my favorite soba place."

He only laughed.

Then he took her to the zenzai place that Sakura had recommended. When she ordered her green tea along with the dessert, he shook his head at her.

"Coffee, please," he told the waitress. She nodded and left to fill their order.

Hinata was frowning at him. "Zenzai's red bean soup and mochi goes better with the mild flavor of green tea," she explained.

"I know! Mikoto told me that," he said with a laugh. "I just wanted to see how you would react to me ordering coffee."

She didn't bite, only pursed her lips more firmly.

"Hinata! You are _so_ traditional!"

" _Green tea_ , Naruto," she only said primly.

" _Coffee_ , Hinata," he replied, matching her tone.

Most times, though, their outings included Hanabi. He kept his promise to Neji and was pleasantly surprised when Hinata's sister had been the one who'd called his name loudly in the middle of the street. He'd seen her and grinned when she excitedly waved her arms to try to get his attention.

"Naruto-niisan!" she called out gaily, and she winked at him when he started walking in their direction.

Then he would look up at Hinata, and she would be smiling at him in welcome. She didn't say anything out loud in front of her sister, but her smile for him was _his_ alone.

They would eat their parfait and she'd laugh at him when he'd glanced at her mischievously and gone against their choices. He ordered a chocolate parfait—with shiratama dango.

Hinata's nose wrinkled, but she laughed along with Hanabi when her younger sister said, "So _regular_!"

And he saw the two of them sitting next to each other, their unbound, long, dark hair entangled, their arms brushing against each other, their similar lavender eyes trained on him, glinting brilliantly.

It struck him how gorgeous they were, paired together like that. All he wanted to do was show them off to his own family. These beautiful Hyuuga girls, so different from each other. He knew Mikoto would love them.

Naruto did his best to convince her that she should meet his family, but she resisted.

"No," she said firmly, even as he felt a brief flare of annoyance at the dismissive tone in her voice.

"Don't you want to meet them? You already know Sasuke since we were in the same grade at the Academy. _He's_ the worst of my family, so you already know how bad it can get," he said with a grin. "Itachi's awesome and so is my father. My mother's really nice."

She remained silent and gazed at him. Then she shook her head. "No," she said again and didn't bother giving an explanation.

"Why not?" he asked in genuine bafflement and something akin to anger.

But instead of answering, he felt the stillness in her, the silent, diminishing of her chakra, the sign that she was withdrawing from him.

And he mentally kicked himself for his mistake.

Oh, god. Her _mother_. He just realized he would be forcing her to meet Mikoto, but she probably wasn't ready to face that yet. To be reminded of the loss of her own.

He remembered then to take it slow again. Right now, he was pushing her too hard.

So he laughed and forced some cheerfulness into it, hoping she would forget that sudden outburst. "Okay, I get it. Probably too soon, you're right."

She locked her gaze on his eyes and latched on. She nodded. "Okay," she whispered and let him hug her. He squeezed her until she pushed him back, but a smile was on her face.

And he smiled at her with relief, glad to see her not hiding herself from him.

* * *

But that night, she struck him, hard, on the chest, while she'd been caught up in her nightmare again. She was shaking and a terrified moan escaped her lips.

He was reaching for her, but she was quicker.

This time, she sat up with a loud gasp, eyes opened in panic, and continued breathing deeply.

She was in a darkened room, and she felt a warmth at her side, at her right thigh. She glanced blankly at him, not understanding.

Then slowly, her eyes adjusted and she saw Naruto and remembered she was in his bed and not in her room at the Hyuuga house.

His eyes were concerned. "Hinata?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself.

It was probably the mention of his mother that triggered her nightmare. She hadn't had one in a long time.

She ignored him for a moment and went through the breathing exercises, her crutch.

Mercifully, he was silent, but she could feel his eyes on her, his concern palpable.

He was quiet, but he waited for her.

In the weeks since they'd started this relationship, she'd realized that she'd come to know him and had gotten a better read on him. The way he always smiled at her before he touched her, gentling her and gauging her reactions.

He was patient, she'd give him that. _Very_ patient. But she didn't understand what he was waiting for, what he wanted from her.

It still confused her, she had to admit.

She felt the flow of chakra settle down inside her and she kept it high, not bothering to dim it because it was all she could to just get her mind settled, if not her heart.

Naruto didn't seem to mind.

She finally turned to him and said, "I'm fine now. Thank you, Naruto."

She reached for his hand. He took hers and brought it to his lips. He nodded.

Hinata knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, but she laid back down on the bed and was gratified to feel his arms wrap around her without even asking him to.

She spooned against him and she felt his sigh against the back of her head.

His arm around her waist tightened as he said, "Hinata, I'm sorry for this afternoon. I shouldn't have asked you to meet my family so soon."

She stiffened against him, but she nodded.

"I just…" he said. There was a peculiar clenching of her heart at the unmistakable uncertainty she heard in his voice, so very rare for him. For Naruto, who was usually so confident. "I want you to give me a chance, Hinata. You're so capable of love. I see how you are when you're with your sister, your family."

And instead of feeling angry, of hiding from the emotions so obvious in his voice, she allowed herself to listen to his words.

He must have felt her opening because he continued in a softer tone, "Hinata, I love you, and I'm going to convince you that you're worthy of love. I understand what you are and I love you just as you are."

She didn't respond, though, because she didn't know what to say to that. She herself didn't know what she was feeling.

He breathed in deeply, and she might have heard regret? Relief?

But she wasn't sure.

Naruto took her hand and twined their fingers together. In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly, but she knew her hands were bloodless, clean.

But _his_ hands were warm.

"There's no hate here," he whispered against her ear. "Only love. Just your skin against mine. This warmth between us. Just you and me, Hinata."

Hinata felt something in her melt at his words.

_Only love._

_Just you and me._

"Will you stay tonight?"

She shook her head. "I'm on a mission tomorrow."

She felt the sudden bleakness in him and she turned around to look at his face.

He was trying to smile at her but was failing miserably and she marveled how easily he could unravel at her words.

But she suddenly realized that she could help him feel better, too. And it was something she wanted to do for him.

She reached up and brushed her fingers against his cheek, something she discovered that he liked, and something she also liked to do.

"I'm with my old team tomorrow," she said with a reassuring smile.

He closed his eyes, placed a hand over hers still resting on his cheek and swallowed. Naruto opened his eyes and nodded.

"Okay, I'll wake you in an hour then." He kissed her on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Hinata closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

She closed her eyes because she just couldn't say the words he desperately wanted to hear.


End file.
